“We no longer know where the limit is”, laments the French photoreporter Patrick Wack

“We no longer know where the limit is” for journalists in Russia, testifies exclusively on franceinfo Patrick Wack, French photoreporter who worked in tandem with the American journalist Evan Gershkovich before his arrest. Patrick Wack then rushed back to Paris to protect himself.

During their report in the Urals, the two men had no “no problem”, assures the French photoreporter, who worked with Evan Gershkovich. Then, the American journalist went back there alone and that’s when he was arrested. According to testimonies, reports Patrick Wack, “he was taken away by plainclothes officers with a sweatshirt on his head”.

“You shouldn’t take any risks”

He … not “do not know” if it is the subject of the report, which Patrick Wack does not wish to communicate, or only the fact of leaving for the region which is at the origin of the arrest. It’s this “uncertainty” who pushed him to return to France: “We felt that we should not take any risks”explains Patrick Wack.

“It is possible for foreign journalists to continue working and we must continue to do this work”, says the photoreporter again, who hopes to return to Russia, but “It may be complicated in the short or medium term”.

Evan Gershkovich, correspondent in Russia for the American daily The Wall Street Journal was arrested by the Russian secret services in Yekaterinburg, a city in the Urals on March 30 and placed in pre-trial detention. He is accused of espionage, which the journalist denies. He appealed against his detention. He faces up to 20 years in prison.