Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich will remain jailed on espionage charges until at least late June, after a Moscow court on Tuesday rejected his appeal that sought to end his pretrial detention.
Quick Read
- Continued Detention: Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich will remain in jail until at least late June after a Moscow court rejected his appeal to end his pretrial detention on espionage charges.
- Background: Gershkovich, a 32-year-old U.S. citizen, was detained in late March 2023 while on a reporting trip in Yekaterinburg, Russia. His detention has been extended multiple times, most recently until June 30.
- Court Appearance: During his latest court appearance, Gershkovich appeared relaxed, interacting with his legal team, despite the gravity of his situation.
- Denial of Charges: Both Gershkovich and his employer have denied the espionage allegations, and the U.S. government has declared him wrongfully detained.
- Geopolitical Context: Analysts suggest that Moscow might be using detained Americans like Gershkovich as leverage amid heightened tensions between the U.S. and Russia, particularly related to conflicts in Ukraine.
- Diplomatic Efforts: The U.S. State Department has attempted to negotiate for Gershkovich’s release, along with that of another detained American, Paul Whelan, but Russia has so far rejected these offers.
- Historical Precedent: Gershkovich is the first American journalist arrested on espionage charges in Russia since Nicholas Daniloff in 1986, who was also released in a prisoner swap after 20 days.
The Associated Press has the story:
Moscow court rejects Gershkovich’s appeal, keeping him in jail until June 30
Newslooks- MOSCOW (AP) —
Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich will remain jailed on espionage charges until at least late June, after a Moscow court on Tuesday rejected his appeal that sought to end his pretrial detention.
The 32-year-old U.S. citizen was detained in late March 2023 while on a reporting trip and has spent over a year in jail, with authorities routinely extending his time behind bars and rejecting his appeals. Last month, his pretrial detention was continued yet again — until June 30 — in a ruling that he and his lawyers later challenged. A Moscow appellate court rejected it Tuesday.
In the courtroom on Tuesday, Gerhskovich, wearing a white T-shirt and an open checked shirt, looked relaxed, at times laughing and chatting with members of his legal team.
His arrest in the city of Yekaterinburg rattled journalists in Russia, where authorities have not detailed what, if any, evidence they have to support the espionage charges.
Gershkovich and his employer have denied the allegations, and the U.S. government has declared him to be wrongfully detained.
Analysts have pointed out that Moscow may be using jailed Americans as bargaining chips in soaring U.S.-Russian tensions over the Kremlin’s military operation in Ukraine. 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.
In December, the U.S. State Department said it had made a significant offer to secure the release of Gershkovich and Paul Whelan, another American imprisoned in Russia on espionage charges, which it said Moscow had rejected.
Officials did not describe the offer, although Russia has been said to be seeking the release of Vadim Krasikov, who was given a life sentence in Germany in 2021 for the killing in Berlin of Zelimkhan “Tornike” Khangoshvili, a 40-year-old Georgian citizen of Chechen descent who had fought Russian troops in Chechnya and later claimed asylum in Germany.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, asked this year about releasing Gershkovich, appeared to refer to Krasikov by pointing to a man imprisoned by a U.S. ally for “liquidating a bandit” who had allegedly killed Russian soldiers during separatist fighting in Chechnya.
Beyond that hint, Russian officials have kept mum about the talks. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov repeatedly said that while “certain contacts” on swaps continue, “they must be carried out in absolute silence.”
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 charge 20 days later in a swap for an employee of the Soviet Union’s U.N. mission who was arrested by the FBI, also on spying charges.
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