American reporter Evan Gershkovich to remain in Russian prison after losing appeal
Gershkovich, arrested in March on espionage charges, due to remain in custody until at least Aug. 30
A Moscow court on Thursday rejected an appeal by Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and upheld an earlier ruling that he should remain in jail on espionage charges until late August.
The 31-year-old U.S. citizen was arrested in late March while on a reporting trip. A Moscow court agreed last month to keep him in custody until Aug. 30. Defence lawyers had challenged the decision.
Gershkovich, wearing a black T-shirt and light blue jeans, looked tense and paced around inside a glass defendant's cage while waiting for the hearing to begin at the Moscow City Court. Before the hearing began, other journalists in the courtroom were asked to leave and the proceedings took place behind closed doors.
Gershkovich's parents and U.S. ambassador to Russia Lynne Tracy attended the hearing.
Speaking to reporters afterward, Tracy said that "Evan continues to show remarkable strength and resilience in these very difficult circumstances."
Tracy said she was "extremely disappointed" by the ruling, reiterating that Gershkovich was "an innocent journalist" and Russia's charges against him were baseless.
"Such hostage diplomacy is unacceptable, and we call on the Russian Federation to release him," she said.
Detained at notorious prison
Gershkovich and his employer have denied he spied in Russia. The U.S. government has declared him to be wrongfully detained and demanded his immediate release.
His arrest in the city of Yekaterinburg rattled journalists in Russia, where authorities have not detailed what, if any, evidence they have gathered to support the espionage charges.
Gershkovich is being held at Moscow's Lefortovo prison, which is notorious for its harsh conditions. U.S. Embassy officials were allowed to visit him once, but Russian authorities rejected two other requests to see him.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told reporters on Thursday that the ministry is considering another visit request from the embassy.
Too soon for prisoner swap: Russian official
At least two U.S. citizens arrested in Russia in recent years — including WNBA star Brittney Griner — have been exchanged for Russians jailed in the U.S.
Ryabkov has cautioned, however, that the possibility of a swap in Gershkovich's case "could only be considered after a court delivers its verdict." Prominent lawyers who worked on espionage cases told The Associated Press that the investigation alone could take up to 18 months.
Also still in Russian custody is Michigan resident Paul Whelan, who holds both U.S. and Canadian citizenship. Whelan, a corporate security executive and former U.S. Marine, was detained in late 2018 and subsequently convicted of spying charges.
Gershkovich is the first American reporter to be arrested on espionage charges in Russia since September 1986, when Nicholas Daniloff, a Moscow correspondent for U.S. News and World Report, was arrested by the KGB. Daniloff was released without charges 20 days later in a swap for an employee of the Soviet Union's UN mission who was arrested by the FBI, also on spying charges.