WSJ writer appeals extended detention, Russian news media reports

Lawyers for Wall Street Journal writer Evan Gershkovich, who is being held in Russia on spying accusations, have filed an appeal against the latest prolongation of his detention, Russian news media reported Friday.

Gershkovich, who continued to report from Russia after the Kremlin started its massive push in Ukraine, became the first Western journalist detained and charged with spying since the Soviet period.

He was seized on 29 March while on a reporting trip in the Urals and has been detained since.

The US citizen's defence team has challenged a recent order to hold him in jail until 30 August, according to the website of Moscow's Lefortovo Court, where Gershkovich has been before court officials.

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Earlier this week the same court extended his arrest by three months in a hearing behind closed doors.

The United States has called for his "immediate release" and his case has been seen as a serious breach of media freedoms.

Gershkovich is held in Moscow's notorious Lefortovo Prison, which is known for keeping detainees in near-total solitude.

US Ambassador Lynne Tracy visited Gershkovich in mid-April and said the reporter was "in good health."

Russian authorities have since denied two consular visits to Gershkovich as part of a visa disagreement with the United States involving Russian journalists.

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