Russian court to hear appeal of imprisoned US journalist

Moscow – A Russian court on Tuesday is set to hear the appeal of the defense of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovic. Arrested on suspicion of spying.

Gershkovich, 31, is the first US correspondent to be detained in Russia on espionage charges since the Cold War. Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) arrested Gershkovic in Yekaterinburg, Russia’s fourth largest city, on March 29, accusing him of trying to obtain classified information about Russian weapons factories.

Gerszkovic, his employer, and the U.S. government denied he was involved in espionage and demanded his release.

The Moscow City Court is scheduled to consider a defense appeal against his arrest on Tuesday.

Gerszkovic could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted. According to Russian lawyers, investigations into past espionage cases took him from a year to 18 months, during which he had little contact with the outside world.

He is held in Lefortovo Prison in Moscow. The prison dates back to Tsarist times and has been a terrifying symbol of oppression since Soviet times.

The United States pressured Moscow to grant consular access to Gerszkovic. On Monday, US Ambassador Lynn Tracy said: Visited Gerszkovic in prison First time since arrest. Tracy said on Twitter that “he is healthy and in good spirits,” reiterating the United States’ call for his immediate release.

President Joe Biden last week met with Greshkovich’s parents and again condemned his detention.

“We have made it clear that what is happening is completely illegal and we have declared it as such,” he said.

Last week, the U.S. government called Gerszkovic a “ unjustly detained‘ designation signifies that a particular State Department office will take the lead in seeking his release.

In December, American basketball star Britney Griner was traded for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout after being tried and convicted of drug possession charges. I ended up spending 10 months in prison.

Another American, Paul Whelan, a corporate security officer in Michigan, has been imprisoned in Russia since December 2018 on espionage charges that his family and the US government called baseless. I’m in.

During the Griner incident, the Kremlin directed the United States to use “special channels” between national security agencies to potential prisoner exchangestated that such private communication was the only appropriate means of resolution.