A Moscow court has dismissed an appeal by American journalist Evan Gershkovich against his continued pre-trial detention on espionage charges, which he, The Wall Street Journal, and the US government insist are unfounded. Gershkovich, 32, has been held in Moscow’s Lefortovo Prison for over a year following his arrest in Yekaterinburg during a reporting assignment. Despite international outcry and denial of espionage activities, no trial date has been set, with his detention recently extended to June 30.
Gershkovich, the first Western journalist detained on such charges since the Soviet era, remains a key figure in ongoing, undisclosed prisoner swap discussions between Russia and the US. Russian officials suggest that Moscow seeks the exchange of a Russian detained in Germany in return for Gershkovich, although official comments on the matter have been sparse.–News Desk