Moscow raises allegations of espionage
US reporter Gershkovich must remain in custody
January 26, 2024, 10:12 a.m
Listen to article
This audio version was artificially generated. More info | Send feedback
US reporter Evan Gershovich has been in custody for ten months because he is said to have collected information about the Russian arms industry. Now his prison term is being extended again. The court in Moscow also releases a video.
US journalist Evan Gershkovich, who was imprisoned in Russia on espionage charges, must remain in custody. “The prison term of Evan Gershkovich (…) is extended by two months (…) until March 30, 2024,” a court in Moscow said. The hearing took place behind closed doors.
The court released a video in which the 32-year-old journalist could be seen watching the announcement of the decision with his arms crossed. He was taken to court in a white van and then escorted by a hooded man and police officers, a photographer observed.
The Wall Street Journal reporter was arrested at the end of March last year during a research trip to the Urals. Gershkovich is accused by the Russian judiciary, among other things, of having collected information about the Russian arms industry. He faces up to 20 years in prison. The reporter, his family, his employer and the US authorities reject the espionage allegations.
The Russian judiciary has not published any evidence to support its allegations. The legal proceedings against Gershkovich were classified as secret. He is the first foreign journalist to be arrested in Russia on suspicion of espionage since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.