A Moscow court on Thursday extended the detention of imprisoned American journalist Evan Gershkovich for another three months. He will remain detained on espionage charges until the end of November, according to the Russian state news agency Tass.
The journalist of the daily newspaper “The Wall Street Journal” was arrested at the end of March while reporting from the Russian city of Yekaterinburg.
Official Moscow accuses him of espionage, charges which he, his employer and the US government strongly deny. The US State Department says Mr Gershkovich’s arrest is illegal.
Mr. Gershkovich is the first American journalist to be arrested by Russia on espionage charges since the Cold War.
Gershkovich, 31, arrived at the Moscow court on Thursday in a white prison vehicle and was led out of the car with his hands tied. He appeared before the court to hear the prosecution’s request, which extended his detention again, a decision that comes into force on August 30.
This is the second time that Mr. Gershkovich’s detention has been extended for three months.
Journalists were not allowed to be present to follow developments in court. According to the Russian news agency Tass, the hearing was held behind closed doors due to the classified nature of some details of the case.
In a statement Thursday, The Wall Street Journal said: “Today, our colleague and prominent journalist Evan Gershkovich appeared in court for a detention hearing, where his wrongful detention was extended again. We are deeply disappointed that he continues to be arbitrarily and illegally imprisoned because of his work as a journalist. The baseless accusations against him are categorically fabricated. We will continue to demand his immediate release. Journalism is not a crime.”