Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich will remain in jail in Russia on espionage charges until at least late June, as a Moscow court rejected his appeal for release. The 32-year-old U.S. citizen was detained in late March 2023 while on a reporting trip and has been behind bars for over a year, with authorities continuously extending his detention and dismissing his appeals.
Last month, his pretrial detention was extended until June 30, a ruling that he and his lawyers contested. On Tuesday, a Moscow appellate court rejected the appeal.
The U.S. State Department declared Gershkovich “wrongfully detained” soon after his arrest, and he awaits a trial on espionage charges that the White House, his family, and his employer all believe are baseless. However, if convicted, he could face a lengthy prison sentence.
During the court session on Tuesday, Gershkovich appeared relaxed, occasionally laughing and chatting with his legal team members.
Gershkovich’s arrest in Yekaterinburg unsettled journalists in Russia, as authorities have not provided any evidence to support the espionage allegations against him.
Analysts suggest that Moscow might be using detained Americans as leverage in the escalating tensions between the U.S. and Russia over President Vladimir Putin’s actions in Ukraine. In recent years, at least two U.S. citizens, including WNBA star Brittney Griner, have been exchanged for Russians imprisoned in the U.S.
In December, the U.S. State Department disclosed making a substantial offer to secure Gershkovich’s and Paul Whelan’s release, which Moscow reportedly turned down. Whelan, also wrongfully detained according to the U.S. government, has been imprisoned in Russia since 2018.
The U.S. did not disclose the details of the offer, but reports suggest Russia may be seeking the release of Vadim Krasikov, serving a life sentence in Germany for a 2021 killing in Berlin. President Biden reaffirmed his commitment to securing Gershkovich’s release at the end of March.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, when asked about Gershkovich’s release, seemed to reference Krasikov, who is imprisoned by a U.S. ally for an incident involving the killing of alleged Russian soldiers. Russian officials have remained silent on the negotiations, with Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov emphasizing the need for secrecy in such matters.
Gershkovich is the first American journalist since 1986 to face espionage charges in Russia. Nicholas Daniloff, a Moscow correspondent for U.S. News and World Report, was arrested by the KGB that year but released without charge in a swap with a Soviet Union U.N. mission employee arrested by the FBI on similar charges.
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