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Moscow court orders two-month detention for US reporter

30 Mar 2023 09:55pm
An undated ID photo of journalist Evan Gershkovich. - A US reporter for The Wall Street Journal newspaper had been detained in Russia for espionage, Russian news agencies reported Thursday, citing the FSB security services. "The FSB halted the illegal activities of US citizen Evan Gershkovich... a correspondent of the Moscow bureau of the American newspaper The Wall Street Journal, accredited with the Russian foreign ministry," the FSB was quoted as saying. A Moscow court today ordered Gershkovich be detained for two months on suspicion of spying, pending a possible trial.- Pic: AFP
An undated ID photo of journalist Evan Gershkovich. - A US reporter for The Wall Street Journal newspaper had been detained in Russia for espionage, Russian news agencies reported Thursday, citing the FSB security services. "The FSB halted the illegal activities of US citizen Evan Gershkovich... a correspondent of the Moscow bureau of the American newspaper The Wall Street Journal, accredited with the Russian foreign ministry," the FSB was quoted as saying. A Moscow court today ordered Gershkovich be detained for two months on suspicion of spying, pending a possible trial.- Pic: AFP
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MOSCOW - A Moscow court on Thursday ordered US journalist Evan Gershkovich be detained for two months on suspicion of spying, pending a possible trial.

Gershkovich, a reporter for the Wall Street Journal, has been placed in detention "for a period of one month 29 days, that is until May 29, 2023," the Moscow Lefortovsky district court said in a statement.

His detention may be extended at the end of this period.

The state-run TASS news agency cited a law enforcement source as saying Gershkovich's case has been classified "top secret" and that the US journalist said he was not guilty of the allegations.

Russia's FSB security service announced Gershkovich's arrest on Thursday, saying he was "suspected of spying in the interests of the American government".

The Wall Street Journal said it was deeply concerned for his safety and media watchdog Reporters Without Borders said it was "alarmed by what looks like retaliation".

Gershkovich worked for AFP in Moscow before joining The Wall Street Journal early last year.

A fluent Russian speaker, he was previously a reporter based in the Russian capital for The Moscow Times, an English-language news website. - AFP

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