Russia extends WSJ reporter Evan Gershkovich pre-trial detention until March end

Jailed Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, arrested on charges of espionage, will have to remain in custody until 30 March, 2024, a Moscow court ruled Friday. The ruling marked the fourth extension of the US citizen's detention since he was taken into custody in March last year. This also means that he is set to spend at least a year behind bars before a trial begins.

Gershkovich (32) was arrested in the Urals city of Yekaterinburg. He has been denying the charges levied on him. The US says he has been wrongly wrongfully held in Russia. The charges of espionage carry up to 20 years in prison.

Also, Gershkovich is the first American journalist to be charged with espionage in Russia since the end of the Cold War.

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On Friday, in a closed hearing at Lefortovo District Court, a judge granted the request of investigators from the Federal Security Service (FSB) that Gershkovich remain behind bars awaiting trial until March 30.

The extension of Gershkovich’s detention comes amid continued efforts by the Biden administration to win his release. His case has triggered bipartisan condemnation, with the House of Representatives unanimously voting last June to approve a resolution calling on Russia to immediately free the reporter.

Why was Evan Gershkovich arrested?

Gershkovich, citizen of US accredited by Russia’s Foreign Ministry to work as a journalist, was detained on 29 March, 2023, by FSB agents during a reporting trip. Russian investigators haven’t publicly presented evidence to back up their espionage allegation against him. He is being held at Moscow’s Lefortovo Prison.

Russia has said it is acting in accordance with its own laws.

The US also considers another American, Michigan corporate-security executive Paul Whelan, to be wrongfully detained in Russia. Whelan is a former US Marine who was convicted of espionage in 2020 and is serving a 16-year sentence in a Russian penal colony. He and his family and the US government say he isn’t a spy.

In December last year, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the US is looking for the “right way” to work with Russia for the return of both Gershkovich and Whelan.

Another American, Alsu Kurmasheva, who holds dual US-Russian citizenship and is a journalist for Prague-based Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, was taken into custody in October on a charge that she failed to register as a foreign agent. The offense carries a potential jail term of up to five years.

Last month, Russian authorities opened a new criminal case against her on an allegation that she spread false information about Russia’s military. Her company, meanwhile, said she wasn’t doing any reporting in Russia during her visit. If convicted on this charge, she could be sentenced to up to 15 years of imprisonment.

Kurmasheva’s family, her employer and supporters say they believe she is being targeted for being a journalist and an American.