From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, March 26, 2024
Russian court extends detention of US reporter Gershkovich until late June at earliest
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A Moscow court has ordered Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich to remain in jail on espionage charges until at least late June, court officials say.
The 32-year-old US citizen was arrested in late March 2023 while on a reporting trip and has spent a year behind bars. His arrest is extended until June 30.
Photos from the courtroom released by court officials show Gershkovich, clad in a black checkered shirt, smiling from the glass defendant’s box.
Gershkovich and his employer have denied the allegations, and the US government has declared him to be wrongfully detained.
His arrest in the city of Yekaterinburg rattled journalists in Russia, where authorities have not detailed what, if any, evidence they have to support the espionage charges.
Gershkovich is being held at Moscow’s Lefortovo prison, which is notorious for its harsh conditions.
US ambassador to Russia Lynne Tracy attended the court hearing on Tuesday and reiterated that “the accusations against Evan are categorically untrue.”
“They are not a different interpretation of circumstances. They are fiction,” Tracy tells reporters outside of the courthouse. “No justification for Evan’s continued detention, and no explanation as to why Evan doing his job as a journalist constituted a crime. 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.”
The Times of Israel Community.