Evan Gershkovich, a Wall Street Journal reporter, was arraigned at a Moscow court on Tuesday in the first hearing that was partially public following his arrest on suspicion of espionage.
Before the appeal hearing against his pre-trial detention began, according to AFP, Gershkovich entered in jeans and a blue checkered shirt, crossed his arms, and smirked in a case that has sparked outrage throughout the world.
Although she was present in the courtroom, Lynne Tracy, the American ambassador to Moscow, was escorted out along with the media during the hearing itself.
According to AFP, the press won’t be permitted back in until the hearing is over and the verdict has been made.
During the brief media appearance, no questions were permitted, and Gershkovich remained silent inside the cage made of glass.
Prior to his trial, which might be months away, there is minimal possibility that he will be released.
The WSJ reporter, a US-born child of Soviet Jewish immigrants, was detained by the Russian security service, FSB, last month while on assignment in Yekaterinburg, a city in the Urals.
The 31-year-old allegedly attempted to collect sensitive defense information for the US government, but the specifics of the case are being kept strictly confidential, according to the FSB.