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

The Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich will likely remain locked up through June 30 after Moscow’s First Appeals Court ruled against him on Tuesday. U.S. Embassy in Moscow Deputy Chief of Mission Stephanie Holmes attended the hearing. The embassy later repeated America’s call for the reporter to be released immediately.  He has been held without a trial since his March 2023 arrest on espionage charges.

What other avenues are there for his release? Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov told state media earlier this month that a potential prisoner swap was being quietly discussed. The United States hasn’t commented on the report, although it has pressed for the release of Gershkovich and Paul Whelan, a former U.S. Marine also accused of espionage. The Wall Street Journal, in a Tuesday statement, urged the Biden administration to do everything in its power to secure his release.

Dig deeper: From the WORLD archives, read Jamie Dean’s report on Russian censoring and silencing citizens.