Moscow Court Extends Pretrial Detention For U.S. Journalist Held On Spying Charges
U.S. journalist Evan Gershkovich, arrested on espionage charges, stands inside a defendants’ cage before a hearing to consider an appeal on his arrest at the Moscow City Court on April 18.
U.S. journalist Evan Gershkovich, arrested on espionage charges, stands inside a defendants’ cage before a hearing to consider an appeal on his arrest at the Moscow City Court on April 18.
A court in Moscow has extended the pretrial detention of Evan Gershkovich, a U.S. reporter for The Wall Street Journal, arrested in Russia in March on spying charges that he, his newspaper, and the U.S. government have strongly denied.
The Lefortovo district court in Moscow ruled on May 23 that Gershkovich must remain in custody until at least August 30. The hearing was held behind closed doors. Gershkovich’s current pretrial detention term expires on May 29
Washington has declared Gershkovich to be wrongfully detained and demanded his immediate release.
The reporter’s detention comes at a time when relation between Moscow and Washington are at their lowest point since the end of the Cold War over the Kremlin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
