A Russian court has dismissed the most recent appeal from Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich regarding his pre-trial detention on espionage charges. Gershkovich, aged 32, was arrested by the Federal Security Service (FSB) on March 29, 2023, making him the first US journalist detained on spying allegations in Russia since the Cold War. Despite denial of the espionage accusations by Gershkovich, his newspaper, and the US government, his trial date is yet to be scheduled. His detention was extended until June 30 in a closed-door hearing last month.
In the courtroom on Tuesday, journalists were permitted to film Gershkovich as he stood in a glass box, acknowledging the court’s decision when asked by the judge. The Wall Street Journal expressed outrage over Gershkovich’s prolonged detention and urged the Biden administration to take all necessary actions to secure his release.
Accredited by the Russian Foreign Ministry as a journalist in Russia, Gershkovich was arrested during a visit to Yekaterinburg in the Urals. He has been held at Moscow’s high-security Lefortovo prison for over a year, with the US condemning Russia’s actions as “hostage diplomacy.” President Putin has hinted at the possibility of Gershkovich’s release in exchange for a Russian prisoner held overseas.
Both Gershkovich and Paul Whelan, an American sentenced to 16 years in 2020 for espionage in Russia, have been labeled by the US State Department as “wrongfully detained.”
