A Moscow court on Tuesday extended the detention of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who is being held on espionage charges, until January 30, Russian news agencies reported.
The trial took place behind closed doors because authorities said details of the criminal case against the American journalist were classified.
Gershkovich, 32, was arrested in March while on a reporting trip to the Russian city of Yekaterinburg, about 1,200 miles east of Moscow.
The Security Service of the Russian Federation claimed that the journalist, “acting on the orders of the American side, collected information that was a state secret about the activities of one of the enterprises of the Russian military industrial complex.”
Gershkovich and the Journal deny the allegations, and the US government has declared he was wrongfully detained.
Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich stands in the dock for defendants before a court hearing to consider an appeal of his pre-trial detention on espionage charges in Moscow, Russia on Oct. 10. 2023. REUTERS Gershkovich and the Journal deny the allegations, and the US government has declared he was wrongfully detained. via REUTERS
Russian authorities have not detailed any evidence to support the espionage allegations.
Gershkovich is the first American journalist to be charged with espionage in Russia since 1986, when Nicholas Daniloff, the Moscow correspondent for US News and World Report, was arrested by the KGB.
He was held in Moscow’s Lefortovo prison, notorious for its harsh conditions.
Gershkovich was detained in Yekaterinburg by the Federal Security Service in March. ZUMAPRESS.com
Analysts have pointed out that Moscow may be using the imprisoned Americans as bargaining chips after US-Russia tensions escalated when Russia sent troops to Ukraine.
At least two US citizens detained in Russia in recent years – including WNBA star Brittney Griner – have been exchanged for Russians imprisoned in the US.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry said it would consider an exchange for Gershkovich only after the outcome of his trial.
In Russia, espionage trials can last for more than a year.
Categories: Trending
Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
