The Russian government has extended the pre-trial detention of a Wall Street Journal reporter by three months.
Evan Gershkovich has been held for over a year after being accused of espionage. He was taken into Russian custody on March 29, 2023 in Yekaterinburg. He was charged under Article 276 of the Russian Criminal Code.
The Moscow City Court extended Gershkovich’s detention until June 30. The Court had previously extended his pre-trial detention by two months in late January.
"The Moscow City Court, having considered the petition of the prosecutor's office, extended the period of Evan Gershkovich's detention until June 30, 2024," the court’s press service told TASS on March 26.
Federal Security Service said in a separate statement that the American journalist was acting as an agent of the United States government and “collected top-secret data about the activity of an enterprise of the Russian military-industrial complex.”
Gershkovich, The Wall Street Journal, and the U.S. government have denied the espionage allegations. The 32-year-old began working with the Journal in January of 2022 and had previously reported from Moscow for Agence France Press and the Moscow Times.
“He is the American-born son of Soviet-era emigres to the U.S. Evan learned Russian from his parents and built a career as a journalist focused on the region,” the Journal said in a post about Gershkovich. “Evan is a gifted journalist who has reported extensively on Russia, illuminating developments on the ground at a crucial time.”
“The Journal and Evan’s family have been working nonstop to keep his profile high and to work for his immediate release,” the outlet added. “We appreciate your support and the support of all those who stand with a free press and with freedom of expression.”
Lynne Tracy, the U.S. ambassador to Russia, accused the Kremlin of using Gershkovich and other detained Americans as political pawns. She demanded the journalist’s release following the closed-door hearing.
“This verdict to further prolong Evan’s detention feels particularly painful, as this week marks one year since Evan was arrested and wrongfully detained in Ekaterinburg simply for doing his job as a journalist,” Tracy said, per The Guardian.
Conservative journalist Tucker Carlson interviewed Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow in February. Carlson asked Putin if he would release Gershkovich to him as a sign of the his “decency.”
“We have done so many gestures of goodwill out of decency that I think we have run out of them,” said Putin. “We have never seen anyone reciprocate of us in a similar manner.”
Putin suggested he did want to return Gershkovich to the United States but implied his government would expect something in return. CBS News reports the Russian president is seeking an exchange for Vadim Krasikov, an assassin serving a life sentence in Germany for the 2019 killing of a Chechen fighter in a Berlin Park.
The U.S. State Department declared in April that Gershkovich was being wrongfully detained.
“Journalism is not a crime,” the federal agency said in a statement. “We condemn the Kremlin’s continued repression of independent voices in Russia, and its ongoing war against the truth.”
Gershkovich is being held in the Lefortovo prison. At least two other Americans – former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan and Pennsylvania teacher Marc Fogel – are currently being held in Russia where they are serving sentences well over a decade in length. Former ballerina Ksenia (Karelina) Khavana, a dual Russian-American citizen, was detained in Yekaterinburg in February and accused of high treason.
