US journalist, Evan Gershkovich, recently filed an appeal against the most recent extension of his pre-trial detention in Russia on charges of espionage, as reported by Russian state media. This marks Gershkovich’s third appeal, following his appeal against his second extension of pre-trial detention and his appeal against his initial arrest back in April.
According to TASS, the Russian state news agency, the Moscow Court confirmed that they received Gershkovich’s appeal against the decision to extend his detention until November 30th. The Moscow city court will consider the appeal at a date yet to be announced.
Gershkovich, who is a Wall Street Journal correspondent, was first arrested on suspicion of espionage in March. He was oficially charged in April and a judge denied his bail plea, implicating that he would be detained until late May. His pre-trial detention was extended again in May until late August, and most recently in August to late November. The international community, including the US Government, has called for his release, labeling him as wrongfully detained. His colleagues from Wall Street Journal have also iterated their support for him.
Gershkovich is not the only US citizen currently detained in Russia on charges of espionage – Paul Whelan, a former marine, has been held in Russia since 2018 after being convicted of espionage.
Russia’s treatment towards journalists has been widely criticized, with Reporters Sans Frontieres (RSF) recently ranking Russia 164 out of 180 countries for press freedom – a noteworthy dip from their ranking in 2022. This low ranking is based on numerous factors, including the lack of independent news channels, restrictive access to foreign press outlets, and rampant internet censorship. Moreover, the country’s “fake news” laws have been used to persecute journalists. Several instances of harassment, forced exile, and disappearances of Russian journalists were also cited by RSF.
More details on the case of Evan Gershkovich’s detention can be found here.