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Journalist Gershkovich

Photo: Moscow City Court Press Service / EPA

Evan Gershkovich remains in custody: A Moscow court has extended the pre-trial detention for the reporter from the US newspaper “Wall Street Journal” by another three months. This means that the American, who was being prosecuted by the Russian power apparatus for alleged espionage, will remain behind bars until June 30, the Moscow City Court announced on Telegram.

The negotiations against the journalist are taking place behind closed doors because the contents of the criminal proceedings are classified as secret. The decision to extend the pre-trial detention was also made behind closed doors, but the court published photos and a short video showing Gershkovich in a glass box.

Arrested on a reporting trip in Yekaterinburg

The Russia correspondent for the “Wall Street Journal” was arrested on a reporting trip in Yekaterinburg at the end of March 2023. The public prosecutor's office accuses him of having collected state secrets about the activities of a Russian arms company "at the instructions of the American side." He faces up to 20 years in prison.

Gershkovich and his employer deny the espionage allegations. The U.S. government said Gershkovich was being held unjustly. The duration of pre-trial detention has already been extended several times without a date for the start of the trial being set.

Putin brought prisoner exchange into play

Russian President Vladimir Putin recently spoke publicly about his willingness to exchange Gershkovich for Russians imprisoned in the West. "It makes no sense to keep him in prison in Russia," said the Kremlin chief. The US should think about how it could contribute to a solution.

The White House, however, announced in December that Moscow had rejected an offer from Washington to release the journalist and another imprisoned American, Paul Whelan. Details of the offer were not disclosed.

Putin's statements afterwards could be interpreted as meaning a release of the zoo murderer Wadim K., who was convicted in December 2021. He murdered a Chechen exile in Berlin in 2019. K. is said to have committed the murder on behalf of Russian state authorities. However, both cases have nothing to do with each other and affect different countries.

fek/Reuters/dpa