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MOSCOW – Meeting behind closed doors, a Moscow court on Tuesday extended the detention of Evan Gershkovich, a Wall Street Journal reporter accused of espionage, for more than three months, until August 30.
The denial of bail and the extension of Mr. Gershkovich’s detention are expected, although Russia has not provided evidence to support the espionage allegations. The United States government and The Wall Street Journal denied the allegations, saying that “reporting is not a crime.”
Mr. Gershkovich’s parents, Ella Milman and Mikhail Gershkovich, waited more than an hour outside the courtroom before being allowed into the hearing. It was the first time the couple, who live in New Jersey, had seen their son since his arrest on March 29. came to Moscow there.
After that, they did not comment on what they saw, but were dismissed by one of Mr. Gershkovich’s lawyers. Mrs. Milman wears a “Free Evan” button. Before entering the hearing, Mr. Gershkovich’s father said, “I hope he is well and that he can be as strong as his mother.”
Mr. Gershkovich, 31, has been detained in Lefortovo jail since he was detained on March 29 during a report to the city of Yekaterinburg in central Russia. If convicted, Mr. Gershkovich faces up to 20 years in a Russian penal colony.
A prisoner exchange, such as the one that secured the release of US basketball star Brittney Griner late last year, will not take place until after the verdict has been reached in the case, Russian officials have said. However, the Biden administration is known to be working to secure an early release.
The United States government, The Wall Journal Journal, numerous colleagues, groups that support freedom of the press and prominent international officials have all condemned Mr. Gershkovich’s arrest and called the charges against him baseless.
The Journal said in a statement after the hearing that “we expected no change in Evan’s wrongful arrest, we are deeply disappointed.”
“The charges are completely false, and we continue to demand his immediate release,” he said.
US diplomats said it was almost certain that Mr Gershkovich’s detention would be extended at the hearing and that his application for bail would be rejected. Even at the best of times, pre-trial investigations into espionage cases usually take months, and possibly a year before a verdict is reached.
Russian-American relations are in a state of acute tension because of the war in Ukraine, a conflict still officially referred to in Russia as a “special military operation,” and President Vladimir V. Putin has begun efforts to suppress independent news. outlet and free speech in public.
In Russia, the word “war” has been used a lot, but not to describe the invasion of Ukraine ordered by Mr. Putin early last year. Instead, it is used to characterize a broad confrontation with the West – the United States, NATO and the European Union – from which, in the view of existing Russia, there is no return.
Before Mr. Gershkovich’s arrest, Russia had not charged a Western journalist with espionage since the Cold War. At a hearing in a Moscow courtroom on April 18, reporters were allowed inside and saw Mr. Gershkovich standing in a glass cage, the marks of red handcuffs visible on his wrists. He smiled and, through his lawyer, expressed his determination to defend his right to work freely as an accredited journalist.
Lefortovo prison is notorious for its close quarters and the conditions it often inflicts on inmates. Mr. Gershkovich has been largely isolated, diplomats said, but his lawyers have been allowed to see him regularly.
The US ambassador to Russia, Lynne M. Tracy, was allowed to visit Mr. Gershkovich on April 17, under intense Russian scrutiny. Russian authorities have refused two requests for consular access since.
Two American consular officials, after a long wait, were allowed into the courtroom along with Mr. Gershkovich’s parents on Tuesday. Like his parents, he left without comment.
Dmitri S. Peskov, Mr. Putin’s spokesman, has said that Mr. Gershkovich was caught “red-handed,” but has not elaborated. Russia has yet to provide evidence to support espionage charges against a journalist known to have deep knowledge of the country.
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