US journalist accused of espionage remains in pretrial detention in Russia

A russian court on Tuesday rejected the request for the release of the American journalist Evan Gershkovic and will remain in pretrial detention on espionage charges, which he denies.

READ ALSO: 12-year-old boy dies after being hit in the chest by a ball at a school

The March arrest of the Wall Street Journal correspondent is the first such case in decades in Russia and it occurs in the midst of a crisis between Washington and Moscow over the conflict in Ukraine.

Gershkovich“combativeAccording to his lawyer, he appeared in public in court for the first time since his imprisonment on Tuesday, looking determined and sometimes smiling at journalists who came to film or photograph him.

The 31-year-old reporter, who has covered various trials in Russiathis time he was locked in the glass cage assigned to the defendants, with handcuff marks on his wrists.

After a closed-door hearing, the judge decided to “leave unchanged” the detention of the reporter, arrested in March, according to a journalist from AFP who was able to access the room to read the decision.

Nonetheless Gershkovich remains “combativesaid one of his lawyers. Maria Korchagina. In prison, “he plays sports, he understands that people support him,” he added.

The Russian security services (FSB) The reporter was detained in March while reporting from Yekaterinburg.

He Kremlin He affirms that he was arrested in flagrante delicto for espionage but without providing any proof in this regard, since the case is classified.

The authorities accuse him of gather information about the defense industry.

Evan Gershkovichis family, his newspaper and the US authorities categorically reject the espionage chargeswhich carry a sentence of 20 years in prison, and accuse Moscow to persecute him for his journalistic work.

KNOW MORE: African-American teenager was shot in the head for ringing the wrong doorbell

“I do not lose the hope”

The ambassador of USA in Moscow, Lynne Tracy, who went to court on Tuesday, was able to visit him on Monday for the first time since his imprisonment began.

“He is in good health and spirits despite the circumstances”declared Tracy on Twitter after meeting with journalist arrested.

The head of US diplomacy, Anthony Blinkenagain demanded on Monday the “immediate release” of the American reporter, known for his rigor and his love for Russia.

“I do not lose the hope”, stated Gershkovich in a letter to his parents from jail, published last week by the Wall Street Journal.

His arrest occurs in a context of serious diplomatic tensions between USA and Russia due to the conflict in Ukraine, where Washington supports kyiv versus Moscow.

Since the launch of the Russian offensive against Ukraine In the past year, the authorities have intensified the repression in Russia against opponents, but also against the media.

The arrest of Gershkovich caused a stir, since no journalist Westerner had been arrested and accused of espionage in Russia for decades.

Many observers believe that it could be used by Moscow in a possible future prisoner exchange with Washington.

In December 2022, the American basketball star Brittney Grinerin Russian custody, was traded by Russian arms dealer Victor Boutdetained in the United States.

The start date of the trial has not yet been announced. Gershkovich.

Source: Elcomercio

jack

I am Jack Morton and I work in 24 News Recorder. I mostly cover world news and I have also authored 24 news recorder. I find this work highly interesting and it allows me to keep up with current events happening around the world.