Russian court extends detention of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich until end of January

A Russian court extended the pre-trial detention of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, arrested on espionage charges, until January 30
Gershkovich’s continued imprisonment was a ‘brazen and outrageous attack’ on a free press, the Journal said in a statement

Russia

ReutersandAssociated Press

Published: 4:57pm, 28 Nov 2023

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A court in Moscow on Tuesday extended the detention of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, arrested on espionage charges, until January 30, Russian news agencies reported.

The hearing took place behind closed doors because authorities say details of the criminal case against the American journalist are classified.

Gershkovich, 32, was detained in March while on a reporting trip to the Russian city of Yekaterinburg, about 2,000 kilometres (1,200 miles) east of Moscow.

US envoy to Russia met detained journalist Evan Gershkovich

Russia’s Federal Security Service alleged that the reporter, “acting on the instructions of the American side, collected information constituting a state secret about the activities of one of the enterprises of the Russian military-industrial complex.”

Gershkovich and the Journal deny the allegations, and the US government has declared him to be wrongfully detained.

The Wall Street Journal said on Tuesday that Russia’s continued imprisonment of Gershkovich was a “brazen and outrageous attack” on a free press, and called for his immediate release.

The accusations against him are categorically false and his continued imprisonment is a brazen and outrageous attack on a free press

Wall Street Journal statement

“Evan has now been unjustly imprisoned for nearly 250 days, and every day is a day too long,” the Journal said in an emailed statement.

“The accusations against him are categorically false and his continued imprisonment is a brazen and outrageous attack on a free press, which is critical for a free society. We continue to stand with Evan and call for his immediate release.”

Russian authorities haven’t detailed any evidence to support the espionage charges.

Gershkovich is the first American reporter to be charged with espionage in Russia since 1986, when Nicholas Daniloff, a Moscow correspondent for US News and World Report, was arrested by the KGB. He is being held at Moscow’s Lefortovo prison, notorious for its harsh conditions.

Evan Gershkovich attends a court hearing on the extension of pre-trial detention on espionage charges in Moscow on Tuesday. Photo: Moscow General Jurisdiction Courts Press Service/Handout via Reuters

Analysts have pointed out that Moscow may be using jailed Americans as bargaining chips after US-Russian tensions soared when Russia sent troops into Ukraine.

At least two US citizens arrested in Russia in recent years – including WNBA star Brittney Griner – have been exchanged for Russians jailed in the US.

The Russian Foreign Ministry has said it will consider a swap for Gershkovich only after a verdict in his trial. In Russia, espionage trials can last for more than a year.