Russia continues to Detain US Journalist

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A Russian court has extended the detention of U.S. journalist Evan Gershkovich until Jan. 30, 2024.

The two-month extension was announced after a closed-door hearing Tuesday.

Gershkovich, a Wall Street Journal reporter, was arrested on espionage charges in March while on a reporting trip in Yekaterinburg.

Gershkovich and the newspaper have denied the allegations, and the U.S. government has said he was wrongfully detained.

The U.S. Embassy in Moscow said embassy officials attended Tuesday’s hearing.

“We are deeply concerned by the court’s decision to extend his pre-trial detention by another 2 months. We reiterate our call for his immediate release,” the embassy posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.

The Wall Street Journal said Gershkovich has been “unjustly imprisoned for nearly 250 days” and called for his immediate release.

"The accusations against him are categorically false and his continued imprisonment is a brazen and outrageous attack on a free press, which is critical for a free society,” the newspaper said.

Russia has not made public any evidence to support the spying charges.