Wall Street Journal Journalist Appeals Russian Detention Extension

US Wall Street Journal journalist Evan Gershkovich, who was arrested in Russia in March on espionage charges he denies, has filed an appeal to extend his detention, the court said on Saturday, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported. .

As reported on the website of the Moscow City Court, the journalist’s defense on Friday appealed against the judge’s decision to extend his pre-trial detention until November 30, pending trial.

The Lefortovo Court in Moscow extended Gershkovich’s pre-trial detention on Thursday during a closed-door hearing.

Wall Street Journal journalist Evan Gershkovich was arrested by Russian security services while reporting in Yekaterinburg, Ural, March 29.

The American journalist was held in the Levtorovo prison in Moscow, which was used by the Russian security services (FSB) to keep prisoners almost completely alone.

The 31-year-old reporter, who also worked for Agence France Presse in Moscow, has been accused of espionage, a crime punishable by 20 years in prison, but he denies the allegations, as does Washington, his newspaper, his family and those close to him. family. .

Russia has never made its accusations public, and the case has been kept secret with no trial date set.

His detention is part of the context of serious diplomatic tensions between the United States and Russia sparked by the conflict in Ukraine, in which Washington is supporting Kyiv militarily and financially against Moscow.

The arrest of a foreign journalist accredited by the Russian authorities is unprecedented since Soviet times.

In recent years, several American citizens have been arrested and sentenced to harsh sentences in Russia, with Washington accusing Moscow of wanting to exchange them for Russians held in the US.