Gershkovich's Detention Extended After 8 Months Behind Bars

UPDATE Nov 29, 2023 12:00 AM CST

A court in Moscow on Tuesday extended the detention of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, arrested on espionage charges, until Jan. 30, Russian news agencies reported. The hearing took place behind closed doors because authorities say details of the criminal case against the American journalist are classified, the AP reports. Gershkovich, 32, was detained in March while on a reporting trip to the Russian city of Yekaterinburg, about 1,200 miles east of Moscow, and accused of spying. Gershkovich and the Journal deny the allegations, and the US government has declared him to be wrongfully detained. Russian authorities haven't detailed any evidence to support the espionage charges.

Oct 10, 2023 10:10 AM CDT

Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich lost an appeal Tuesday to be released from jail on espionage charges, meaning he'll remain behind bars at least through Nov. 30. Gershkovich, 31, who's already spent six months in custody, had a mostly blank expression as he appeared in the defendant's glass cage in Moscow City Court in a blue shirt, T-shirt, and jeans, per the AP. It was the second time in less than a month he'd appeared before a judge to appeal an August decision to extend his pretrial detention through November. On Sept. 19, the court declined to hear the appeal, citing unspecified procedural violations.

The US Embassy in Moscow said in a statement that it was "deeply disappointed" that Gershkovich's appeal was rejected, adding: "Evan should be released." The journalist was detained in March while on a reporting trip to the city of Yekaterinburg, about 1,200 miles east of Moscow. The court proceedings are closed because prosecutors say details of the criminal case are classified. Russia's Federal Security Service alleged that Gershkovich, "acting on the instructions of the American side, collected information constituting a state secret about the activities of one of the enterprises of the Russian military-industrial complex."

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Gershkovich and the Journal deny the allegations, and the US government has declared him to be wrongfully detained. Russian authorities haven't detailed any evidence to support the espionage charges. Gershkovich, held at Moscow's Lefortovo prison, is the first American reporter to be charged with espionage in Russia since Nicholas Daniloff in 1986. Analysts have pointed out that Moscow may be using jailed Americans as bargaining chips after US-Russian tensions soared when Russia sent troops into Ukraine. The Russian Foreign Ministry has said it will consider a swap for Gershkovich only after a verdict in his trial. In Russia, espionage trials can last for more than a year. (More Evan Gershkovich stories.)