Russian court rejects appeal of U.S. reporter accused of spying

Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich is set to remain in Russian custody through Nov. 30 after a Russian appeals court on Tuesday refused to hear his case. Gershkovich is awaiting trial on espionage charges after being arrested during a March work trip to Yekaterinburg, the capital city of Sverdlovsk Oblast. Gershkovich’s charges are baseless and “journalism is not a crime,” Lynne Tracy,  U.S. ambassador to Russia,  said outside the courthouse. Tracy, who met with Gershkovich last week, described him as “remarkably strong.” Gershkovich and the Wall Street Journal deny the charges. Gershkovich faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted.

Why does Russia think Gershkovich was spying? Russian authorities have yet to present evidence supporting their charges that Gershkovich spied for the United States. Some political analysts theorize Russia may use Gershkovich for bargaining leverage amid tension with the United States over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. His case has been compared to the Soviet Union’s arrest of American journalist Nicholas Daniloff in 1986.

Dig deeper: Read June Cheng’s report in WORLD Magazine on the Chinese government arresting a Hong Kong reporter and raiding his newspaper office.