A Russian court has extended the pre-trial detention of U.S. journalist Evan Gershkovich, who was arrested nearly a year ago on espionage charges widely viewed as bogus.
The court Tuesday ordered the Wall Street Journal reporter held until at least June 30, a three-month extension of an earlier order.
Speaking outside the Moscow City Court, U.S. ambassador to Russia Lynne Tracy condemned the decision.
“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 Yekaterinburg simply for doing his job as a journalist,” she said.
“Evan’s case is not about evidence, due process, or rule of law. It is about using American citizens as pawns to achieve political ends,” Tracy said.
The Journal called for Gershkovich’s immediate release in a statement about the extension of his pre-trial detention.
“It’s a ruling that ensures Evan will sit in a Russian prison well past one year. It was also Evan’s 12th court appearance, baseless proceedings that falsely portray him as something other than what he is—a journalist who was doing his job,” the Journal said.
No date for Gershkovich’s trial has been set.
The 32-year-old was arrested while on a reporting trip in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg in March 2023.
Gershkovich and the newspaper have denied Russia’s spying allegations. Russia has not provided evidence to support the charges.
“He’s an innocent man, and we’re counting on the U.S. government to get him home,” Paul Beckett told VOA earlier this month. Beckett is an assistant editor at the Journal and is leading the newspaper’s campaign to secure Gershkovich’s release.
The U.S. State Department also has declared Gershkovich wrongfully detained.
VOA’s Liam Scott contributed to this report. Some information for this story came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters
