Evan Gershkovich at 100 Days: Press Club welcomes sister Danielle, former Iranian Captee Rezaian

Not everyone has a journalist brother detained in Russia, but as Danielle Gershkovich said today, many of us have brothers.

Watching her speak at the National Press Club briefing (remotely) was even more moving than I had imagined it would be, in no small part for her composure and smile, her sweetness and calm in the face of unspeakable fear.

Joining her were longtime Iranian captee, Washington Post's Jason Rezaian, Paul Beckett, Washington Bureau Chief of the WSJ and Jason Conti, general counsel with Dow Jones and a lawyer on the detainee's case. NPC President Eileen O'Reilly moderated the panel, which included both emailed and live questions from assembled press and Club members.

Beckett began by sharing the power of the recent milestone, 100 days, memorialized on its front page. "Acknowledging the impact and reality" was punctuated by the milestone, Gershkovich's imprisonment following his March 29 apprehension on so-called espionage charges.

Rezaian said that authoritarian regimes--namely Russia, China and Iran-- "weaponize their legal system against people like me, like Evan." He said he's "convincing people that we have to be smarter about how we frame these stories."

The lawyer on the panel, Conti, brought in a surprisingly moving account of how he works to free Gershkovich. He said their firm makes it a priority to comfort the family as they maneuver the Russian system, which he says almost guarantees 100 percent in the Russians' favor. He and his firm are involved in a tedious process of appeals.

Danielle Gershkovich talked about the weekly letters she receives from her brother. Asked how she receives them, she simply said they are photographed and sent to her, though it is unclear if she meant on or offline. "I got a letter yesterday and it changed my mood."

Throughout the hour she showed a type of composure one could only describe as heroic. Her parents' full-time job is seeing their son released, but she has to go to work every day. She finds solace there, and showed us a bit of her relatable personality when she quipped, "I was the classic bossy older sister, but we've become friends."

To watch today's recording, click here.

Today, news outlets are reporting that President Biden is serious about a prisoner swap to secure Gershkovich's release. Photo: National Press Club rooftop, 1905. Library of Congress/ Harris & Ewing, photographer, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons