FALSELY jailed journalist Evan Gershkovich‘s had his detention extended once AGAIN after being locked up by Putin on bogus spy charges.
The 32-year-old innocent American will now remain in custody at a notorious Moscow jail until March.
AFPEvan Gershkovich leaving court today[/caption]
APThe falsely jailed reporter has been behind bars since March, 2023[/caption]
In video shared by state news agency Ria Novosti, Gershkovich was shown listening to the ruling, standing in a court cage wearing a hooded top and light blue jeans.
He was pictured smiling defiantly a short time later as he walked towards a prison van to leave the court.
Gershkovich, 32, was detained last March while on a reporting trip to the Russian city of Yekaterinburg, about 2,000 kilometers (1,200 miles) east of Moscow.
Russias Federal Security Service alleged that the reporter, 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 Journal deny the allegations, and the U.S. government has declared him to be wrongfully detained. Russian authorities havent detailed any evidence to support the espionage charges.
During his end-of-year news conference in December, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Moscow is in dialogue with the United States on bringing home both Gershkovich and jailed American Paul Whelan, and that the Kremlin hopes to find a solution even though its not easy.
Putin was replying to a question about an offer the Biden administration made to secure the two mens release.
The U.S. State Department reported it in December, without offering details, and said Russia rejected it.
“We have contacts on this matter with our American partners, theres a dialogue on this issue. Its not easy, I wont go into details right now. But in general, it seems to me that were speaking a language each of us understands,” Putin said.
I hope we will find a solution, he continued. But, I repeat, the American side must hear us and make a decision that will satisfy the Russian side as well.
The Russian Foreign Ministry has said it will consider a swap for Gershkovich only after a verdict in his trial. In Russia, espionage trials can last for more than a year.
Gershkovich is the first American reporter to be charged with espionage in Russia since 1986, when Nicholas Daniloff, a Moscow correspondent for U.S. News and World Report, was arrested by the KGB. Gershkovich is being held at Moscows Lefortovo prison, notorious for its harsh conditions.
Analysts have said that Moscow may be using jailed Americans as bargaining chips after U.S.-Russian tensions soared when Russia sent troops into Ukraine.
At least two U.S. citizens arrested in Russia in recent years, including WNBA star Brittney Griner, have been exchanged for Russians jailed in the U.S.
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