WSJ reporter Evan Gershkovich’s appeal for prison release denied

Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich’s appeal to be released from a Russian prison was denied Thursday by a Moscow court, which maintained he must remain incarcerated until at least Aug. 30.

Gershkovich has denied the espionage allegations that led to his arrest in March. His detention was extended by three months in late May, leading to the appeal.

The 31-year-old Gershkovich appeared Thursday inside a glass cage at the Moscow City Court. His parents, Ella Milman and Mikhail Gershkovich, and U.S. Ambassador Lynne Tracy also went to the hearing.

Thursday’s decision left Tracy “extremely disappointed,” she told reporters.

“Evan continued to show remarkable strength and resiliency in these very difficult circumstances,” Tracy said.

“Such hostage diplomacy is unacceptable, and we call on the Russian Federation to release him.”

Gershkovich’s arrest occurred while he was reporting in Russia. Russian officials haven’t specified what evidence led to his arrest.

The Wall Street Journal has denied the charges against Gershkovich, who is jailed at the Lefortovo prison in Moscow.

“Although the outcome was expected, it is no less an outrage that his detention continues to be upheld,” the newspaper said in a statement Thursday. “Evan has been wrongfully detained for more than 12 weeks for nothing more than doing his job as a journalist. We continue to demand his immediate release.”

Gershkovich’s detainment began months after WNBA star Brittney Griner was released from a Russian penal colony in a prisoner swap last December. Griner, who plays for the Phoenix Mercury, was arrested in February 2022 after Russian officials said they found vape cartridges with cannabis oil in her luggage at a Moscow airport.

With News Wire Services