FALSELY jailed reporter Evan Gershkovich has had his detention extended once AGAIN after being locked up last year by Putin on bogus spy charges.
The 32-year-old innocent American will now remain in custody at a notorious Moscow jail until the end of March.
AFPEvan Gershkovich leaving court today[/caption]
APThe falsely jailed reporter has been behind bars since March, 2023[/caption]
Gershkovich was filmed today 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.
The Wall Street Journal reporter was detained by the Federal Security Service (FSB) on March 29 in the Urals city of Yekaterinburg on trumped up charges of espionage.
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.
Both Gershkovich and the Journal deny the allegations, while Washington declares him wrongfully detained.
He is the first Western reporter to be jailed on espionage charges in Russia since the Soviet era, and he faces a prison term of up to 20 years if convicted.
Russian officials have not yet provided any evidence to publicly back up their allegations.
During his end-of-year news conference in December, Putin said that Moscow is in “dialogue” with the US on bringing home both Gershkovich and jailed American Paul Whelan.
The despot said the Kremlin “hopes” to find a solution – but it’s not “easy”.
The US State Department reported it in December, without offering details, and said Russia rejected it.
Putin said: “We have contacts on this matter with our American partners, there’s 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.”
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 Moscow’s Lefortovo prison, notorious for its harsh conditions.
Analysts have said that Moscow may be using jailed Americans as bargaining chips after US-Russian tensions soared when Russia sent troops into Ukraine.
At least two American citizens arrested in Russia in recent years, including WNBA star Brittney Griner, have been exchanged for Russians jailed in the US.
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AFPHe has languished behind bars since last March[/caption]
EPAThe reporter appeared upbeat despite repeated extensions of his pre-trial detention[/caption]
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