BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 CALSCALE:GREGORIAN PRODID:adamgibbons/ics METHOD:PUBLISH X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H BEGIN:VEVENT UID:25446@offbeat.amsterdam SUMMARY:Derk Sauer Lecture by Evan Gershkovich DTSTAMP:20260731T183658Z DTSTART:20261031T190000Z DESCRIPTION:The inaugural Derk Sauer Lecture will be delivered by journalis t Evan\nGershkovich\, who spent nearly a year and a half in a Russian pris on. The Derk\nSauer Lecture is an initiative by Het Parool\, The Moscow Ti mes\, and De Balie to\,\nin the spirit of the late Derk Sauer\, who passed away last year\, highlight the\nimportance of press freedom at a time whe n that freedom is increasingly under\nthreat.\n\nEvan Gershkovich’s name m ade headlines around the world in 2023 after he was\narrested in Russia. T he Wall Street Journal correspondent was accused by the\nRussian authoriti es of spying for the U.S. government. Following a closed-door\nshow trial\ , Gershkovich was sentenced to sixteen years in a penal colony. One\nmonth later\, he was released as part of a prisoner exchange between the United \nStates and Russia. In total\, he spent nearly a year and a half in capti vity.\n\nThe first Derk Sauer Lecture\, a collaboration between Het Parool \, The Moscow\nTimes\, and De Balie\, will be delivered by Evan Gershkovic h. He will offer a\nunique insight into Putin’s Russia\, the methods of th e FSB\, and the harsh and\nisolated reality of the Russian prison system.\ n\nEvan Gershkovich was a friend of Derk Sauer. He began his journalism ca reer at\nThe Moscow Times\, the newspaper founded by Sauer. In his column for Het Parool\,\nSauer regularly wrote about Gershkovich’s case. In an op en letter published in\nHet Parool in 2023\, Sauer wrote: “One of the firs t things Evan Gershkovich did\nwhen he returned to American soil was to dr aw attention to the prisoners who had\nbeen left behind. ‘I will devote al l my energy to securing their freedom as\nwell.’ That’s Evan.”\n\nAbout Ev an Gershkovich\n\nEvan Gershkovich (1991) is an American journalist. He ha s worked for The New\nYork Times and The Moscow Times\, among other public ations\, and currently works\nfor The Wall Street Journal. He was serving as the newspaper’s correspondent in\nRussia when he was arrested. His book This Cursed Beautiful Country\, in which he\nreflects on this period of h is life\, will be published in September.\n\nAbout Derk Sauer\n\nDerk Saue r (1952–2025) was a Dutch journalist and media entrepreneur. In 1989\,\nhe moved to Moscow\, where he founded the English-language newspaper The Mos cow\nTimes. For 34 years\, Sauer chronicled his life in Russia through his column in\nHet Parool. After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022\, he re turned to the\nNetherlands and relocated The Moscow Times to Amsterdam\, f rom where the\nnewspaper continued its independent reporting on Russia.\n\ nSauer was closely involved with De Balie as a member of its Supervisory B oard.\nHe was also one of the initiators of the exhibition Artists Against the Kremlin\,\nhosted at De Balie. Sauer passed away in 2025. The Derk Sa uer Lecture is being\nheld for the first time this year to defend global p ress freedom\, a cause that\nSauer championed throughout his life\, at a t ime when it is coming under\nincreasing pressure. URL:https://offbeat.amsterdam/event/derk-sauer-lecture-by-evan-gershkovich GEO:52.3630433;4.8828596 LOCATION:De Balie - Kleine-Gartmanplantsoen 10\, 1017 RR Amsterdam STATUS:CONFIRMED CATEGORIES:amsterdam-centrum,books,exhibition,geopolitiek & mensenrechten,l ecture,leidseplein,politiek & democratie X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:

The inaugural Derk Sauer Lecture wi ll be delivered by journalist Evan Gershkovich, who spent nearly a year an d a half in a Russian prison. The Derk Sauer Lecture is an initiative by < em>Het Parool, The Moscow Times, and De Balie to, < strong>in the spirit of the late Derk Sauer, who passed away last year, highlight the importance of press freedom at a time when that freed om is increasingly under threat.

Evan Gershkovich’s name m ade headlines around the world in 2023 after he was arrested in Russia. The Wall Street Journal correspondent was accused by the Russian au thorities of spying for the U.S. government. Following a closed-door show trial, Gershkovich was sentenced to sixteen years in a penal colony. One m onth later, he was released as part of a prisoner exchange between the Uni ted States and Russia. In total, he spent nearly a year and a half in capt ivity.

The first Derk Sauer Lecture, a collaboration between He t Parool, The Moscow Times, and De Balie, will be delivered by Evan Gershkovich. He will offer a unique insight into Putin’s Russia, t he methods of the FSB, and the harsh and isolated reality of the Russian p rison system.

Evan Gershkovich was a friend of Derk Sauer. He began his journalism career at The Moscow Times, the newspaper founded by Sauer. In his column for Het Parool, Sauer regularly wrote ab out Gershkovich’s case. In an open letter published in Het Parool in 2023, Sauer wrote: “One of the first things Evan Gershkovich did when he returned to American soil was to draw attention to the prisoners who ha d been left behind. ‘I will devote all my energy to securing their freedom as well.’ That’s Evan.”

About Evan Gershkovich

Evan Gershkovich (1 991) is an American journalist. He has worked for The New York Times and The Moscow Times, among other publications, and currently works for The Wall Street Journal. He was serving as the newspap er’s correspondent in Russia when he was arrested. His book This Curse d Beautiful Country, in which he reflects on this period of his life, will be published in September.

About Derk Sauer

Derk Sauer (1952– 2025) was a Dutch journalist and media entrepreneur. In 1989, he moved to Moscow, where he founded the English-language newspaper The Moscow Tim es. For 34 years, Sauer chronicled his life in Russia through his col umn in Het Parool. After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, he returned to the Netherlands and relocated The Moscow Times to Am sterdam, from where the newspaper continued its independent reporting on R ussia.

Sauer was closely involved with De Balie as a member of its Supervisory Board. He was also one of the initiators of the exhibition Artists Against the Kremlin, hosted at De Balie. Sauer passed away i n 2025. The Derk Sauer Lecture is being held for the first time this year to defend global press freedom, a cause that Sauer championed throughout h is life, at a time when it is coming under increasing pressure.

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