A Moscow court Tuesday upheld the detention of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich. Photo by Yuri Kochetkov/EPA-EFE
A Moscow court on Tuesday upheld the detention of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich who has been held on espionage charges since March.
The court rejected Gershkovich’s appeal against the Russian authorities’ decision in August to extend his detention, leaving him to serve the remainder of the sentence now set to end on Nov. 30. Advertisement
“The decisions of the Lefortovo Court of Moscow dated Aug. 24, 2023, on extending the period of detention in relation to Gershkovich until Nov. 30, 2023, is left unchanged, the appeal is not satisfied,” a Moscow court said Tuesday.
Dow Jones, the Wall Street Journal’s parent company, condemned the decision in a statement.
“It has now been more than six months since Evan’s unjust arrest and we are outraged that he continues to be wrongfully detained,” a spokeswoman said. “The accusation against him is categorically false and we call for his immediate release.
Tuesday’s hearing was held behind closed doors as Gershkovich took part in the proceedings from inside a transparent box for defendants.
Gershkovich previously sought to challenge the extension of his detention last month but the court refused to hear the appeal and turned him away without a ruling. Advertisement
Gershkovich’s pre-trial detention was originally set to end on May 29 but has since been pushed back three times.
He faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted when his case eventually goes to trial.
The U.S. State Department has joined his employer in stating that Gershkovich is “wrongfully detained in Russia.”
“Journalism is not a crime. We condemn the Kremlin’s continued repression of independent voices in Russia, and its ongoing war against the truth. The U.S. government will provide all appropriate support to Mr. Gershkovich and family. We call for the Russian Federation to immediately release Mr. Gershkovich,” State Department deputy principal spokesperson Vedant Patel said in April.
In December, WNBA star Britney Griner was released from Russian detention after being exchanged for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.
U.S. citizen Paul Whelan also remains in Russian detention.
