Russian court announces reporter Evan Gershkovich’s detention will be extended

A Moscow court has extended the detention of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who was arrested on espionage charges, The Associated Press reported.

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The court told Gershkovich that his detention will be extended through at least Jan. 30, according to Russian news agencies.

“The court ruled to extend the term of detention of Gershkovich, accused of a crime under Article 276 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, for up to 10 months, that is, until January 30, 2024,” Moscow’s Lefortovo district court said.

Gershkovich, 32, was detained in March while reporting in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg.

Russian authorities said Gershkovich was “acting on the instructions of the American side, collected information constituting a state secret about the activities of one of the enterprises of the Russian military-industrial complex.”

Gershkovich and The Wall Street Journal, his employer, deny the allegations.

“Evan has now been unjustly imprisoned for nearly 250 days, and every day is a day too long,” the Journal said in a statement.

“The accusations against him are categorically false and his continued imprisonment is a brazen and outrageous attack on a free press, which is critical for a free society. We continue to stand with Evan and call for his immediate release.”

Russian authorities haven’t detailed any evidence to support the espionage charges, the AP reported. The hearing was held behind closed doors.