- A Russian court has extended the detention of Evan Gershkovich, a U.S. reporter for the Wall Street Journal, until January 30, 2024
- Gershkovich is facing espionage charges that he denies, and if convicted, he could be sentenced to up to 20 years in prison
- Gershkovich has consistently denied the charges brought against him and is the first U.S. journalist to face such accusations in Russia since the Cold War
MOSCOW, Russia: A Russian court has extended the detention of Evan Gershkovich, a U.S. reporter for the Wall Street Journal, until January 30, 2024.
Gershkovich is facing espionage charges that he denies, and if convicted, he could be sentenced to up to 20 years in prison. He was detained by Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) on March 29 in Yekaterinburg, a city in the Urals.
“The court ruled to extend the term of detention of Gershkovich, accused of a crime under Article 276 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, for up to 10 months, that is, until January 30, 2024,” Moscow’s Lefortovo district court said.
Gershkovich has consistently denied the charges brought against him and is the first U.S. journalist to face such accusations in Russia since the Cold War.
Russia claims that Gershkovich was caught “red-handed,” while the FSB alleges that he was attempting to obtain military secrets. However, the Wall Street Journal and Dow Jones, for whom Gershkovich was working, maintain that he was merely performing his journalistic duties and have vehemently denied the espionage allegations. They have repeatedly called for his release.
“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,” The Wall Street Journal said in a statement.
The U.S. embassy in Moscow expressed deep concern over the court’s decision and reiterated its demand for Gershkovich’s immediate release. The U.S. government has labeled the charges against him as “ridiculous,” and President Joe Biden has characterized his detention as “totally illegal.”
Diplomats speculate that Gershkovich may have been detained as part of a broader Russian strategy to detain U.S. citizens who could potentially be used in exchange for Russian citizens, including convicted spies, held in the West.
Russian officials have acknowledged discussions with Washington regarding Gershkovich but maintain that public demands from the U.S. will not influence the case. They have stated that no exchange can occur until a verdict is reached in Gershkovich’s trial, for which no date has been announced.
Gershkovich, who speaks Russian fluently, was born to Soviet emigres and raised in New Jersey. He moved to Moscow in late 2017 to work for the English-language Moscow Times and later for the French news agency Agence France-Presse. Since his detention, he has made several unsuccessful appeals against his continued incarceration.
