Russian court extends Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich's detention by 3 months
CBSN
Washington — A Russian court has extended the detention of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich for at least another three months, Russian media outlets said Tuesday, the latest setback in efforts to secure his release.
News agencies TASS and Interfax reported that Lefortovsky District Court in Moscow ordered Gershkovich held until Aug. 30, citing the court's press service. Gershkovich faces espionage charges that the U.S. has denounced as fabricated, and the State Department has determined he is being "wrongfully detained," a designation that requires the U.S. government to work to secure his release.
The 31-year-old correspondent was arrested in March in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg and soon charged with spying. The Russian Foreign Ministry claimed he was "caught red-handed while trying to obtain secret information" and "using his journalistic status as a cover for illegal actions," a charge strenuously denied by Gershkovich, the Wall Street Journal and U.S. officials. He appealed his pretrial detention in April, which was rejected by the court.
