A Smile Amid Grim News for Detained Reporter

Russia extended Evan Gershkovich's detention another 3 months
By Kate Seamons,  Newser Staff
Posted Mar 27, 2024 12:00 AM CDT
A Smile Amid Grim News for Evan Gershkovich
In this photo released by the Moscow City Court Press Service, Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich stands in a glass cage in a courtroom at the Moscow City Court in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, March 26, 2024.   (Moscow City Court Press Service via AP)

The first US journalist to be held by Russia on allegations of spying since 1986 saw his pretrial detention extended for a fifth time on Tuesday. Evan Gershkovich was ordered to remain in Moscow's Lefortovo Prison until June 30; the Wall Street Journal reporter has been there since March 29, 2023. The latest:

  • Legal context: The Journal notes that under Russian law, investigators may have "up to a year in criminal cases deemed particularly complex to prepare for a trial," but they can obtain extensions beyond that "in exceptional circumstances." The extension request was made by investigators from the Federal Security Service, or FSB.

  • How Gershkovich appeared: The New York Times reports video showed the 32-year-old "wearing dark denim jeans and a plaid shirt in court ... with his hands in his pockets ... A few still images showed Mr. Gershkovich smiling through the glare of the [courthouse] cage."
  • Standout quote I: From US Ambassador to Russia Lynne Tracy, per the AP: "The accusations against Evan are categorically untrue. They are not a different interpretation of circumstances. They are fiction. No justification for Evan's continued detention, and no explanation as to why Evan doing his job as a journalist constituted a crime."
  • Standout quote II: From the Journal: "Journalism is not a crime, and we continue to demand his immediate release."
  • The stakes: Those convicted of espionage in Russia can face sentences of up to 20 years. Per the Journal, "It is rare for a court to acquit a defendant in such cases."
(More Evan Gershkovich stories.)

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