Moscow court rejects appeal by reporter Evan Gershkovich against extended detention

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Evan Gershkovich, the Wall Street Journal reporter being held in Russia on espionage charges derided as politically motivated, has lost his latest appeal against his extended detention ahead of his trial – for which no date has been set.

The journalist denies the spying charge, which could lead to a prison sentence of up to 20 years if he is convicted. Mr Gershkovich, wearing blue jeans and a black T-shirt, stood in a glass box and smiled at reporters who were briefly allowed to film him before the start of the proceedings in a courtroom in Moscow.

The US ambassador to Russia, Lynne Tracy, who was not allowed inside the hearing, told reporters outside that she was "extremely disappointed" by the decision.

She praised Mr Gershkovich, 31, for his "remarkable strength and resiliency" and reiterated the US stance that the charges against him were baseless.

"He is an innocent journalist who was carrying out journalistic activities and has been wrongfully detained. Such hostage diplomacy is unacceptable," Ms Tracy said.

The Kremlin has claimed Mr Gershkovich was caught "red-handed" on a trip to the Urals city of Yekaterinburg, where the FSB security service said he was trying to obtain military secrets. It has provided no evidence to support that assertion, which is vehemently denied by the Wall Street Journal.

The reporter's parents Mikhail Gershkovich and Ella Milman, who left the Soviet Union for the United States in 1979, were in court to support their son. They left afterwards without speaking to journalists.

Emma Tucker, the Wall Street Journal's editor in chief, told the BBC before the hearing that she had low expectations from the appeal but it was important to go through the legal process.

In April, a court denied an earlier request from Mr Gershkovich's lawyers that he be transferred to house arrest, agree to restrictions on his movements, or be granted bail.

He is being held in Lefortovo prison at a time when relations between Washington and Moscow are at the lowest point since the Cold War, after Russia launched an invasion of Ukraine.

Ambassador Tracy said Washington demanded the immediate release of Mr Gershkovich and Paul Whelan, a former US marine who was arrested in Russia in 2018 and jailed for 16 years in June 2020 on spying charges.

Washington says he too is wrongfully detained, a term that means the United States considers the verdicts to be bogus and politically motivated.

Reuters