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Journalist Gershkovich at the hearing in a Moscow court
Photo: Dmitry Serebryakov / AP
US journalist Evan Gershkovich, who is imprisoned in Russia on espionage charges, will remain in pre-trial detention until at least the end of January. This was decided by a court in Moscow, which rejected an appeal by the reporter of the »Wall Street Journal«. Gershkovich will remain in custody until January 30, 2024, the court announced via Telegram.
The court thus confirmed a decision of a lower court that had extended Gershkovich's detention until the end of January at the end of November. A video released by the court shows the 32-year-old standing in a glass defendant's box during the hearing in a dark turtleneck.
"The American side should also listen to us"
Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin also dampened hopes for a release. "We want to reach an agreement, and these agreements should be fair to both sides," Putin said during his televised question and answer time, "The Direct Line." The head of the Kremlin emphasizes: "The American side should also listen to us and make a decision that suits the Russian side." In doing so, Putin is making it clear that the Russians will not allow themselves to be dealt with so quickly.
Gershkovich was arrested at the end of March during a research trip to the Urals. The 32-year-old 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, the Wall Street Journal and the U.S. authorities deny the espionage allegations.
The Russian judiciary has not published any evidence to support its accusations. The legal case against Gershkovich was 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.
Intensified repression since the beginning of the war of aggression
Russian President Vladimir Putin had further curtailed press freedom shortly after the start of the war of aggression against Ukraine. Shortly after the start of the war, the president signed into law the law on the "discrediting of the Russian armed forces" in 2022. Since then, war must not be called war; it has to be called a "special operation" in Russia – otherwise draconian penalties are imminent.
At the same time, Putin expanded the "fake news" law: spreading alleged false news about the armed forces is punishable by prison sentences of up to 15 years. As a result, it has become almost impossible for many Russian journalists to practice their profession, and many have gone into exile. Others have been sent to penal colonies for years. Critical media such as the Internet portal Meduza and the investigative medium iStories were declared "undesirable" and thus de facto banned. (Read more about how journalists can still work in Russia here.)
fek/mrc/AFP/Reuters/AP