Wall Street Journal Reporter Evan Gershkovich’s Appeal Denied By Russian Court

TOPSHOT - US journalist Evan Gershkovich, arrested on espionage charges, stands inside a defendants' cage before a hearing to consider an appeal on his arrest at the Moscow City Court in Moscow on April 18, 2023. (Photo by NATALIA KOLESNIKOVA / AFP) (Photo by NATALIA KOLESNIKOVA/AFP via Getty Images) — US journalist Evan Gershkovich, arrested on espionage charges, stands inside a defendants’ cage before a hearing to consider an appeal on his arrest at the Moscow City Court in Moscow on April 18, 2023. (Photo by NATALIA KOLESNIKOVA / AFP) (Photo by NATALIA KOLESNIKOVA/AFP via Getty Images)

OAN’s James Meyers
1:52 PM – Tuesday, February 20, 2024

A Russian court refused to alter its ruling of the imprisonment of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, rejecting his appeal.

The Tuesday ruling means that the journalist will remain in prison until March 30^th.

Russia detained Gershkovich on March 29^th, 2023, while he was reporting in the city of Yekaterinburg, accusing him of espionage.

Meanwhile, the U.S. government and The Wall Street Journal deny the espionage charges, and the Biden administration also maintains that he was not an American spy, being wrongfully detained. All of Gershkovich’s appeals have been denied and he will now most likely face conviction in the future.

“Evan Gershkovich appeared in the Moscow City Court today, where an appeal of his wrongful detention was denied once again,” the Journal said in a statement. “It’s been nearly one year since Evan’s unjust arrest for doing nothing more than his job, and every day he remains in prison is an unconscionable attack on a free press. Evan is a journalist, and any suggestion or portrayal otherwise is fiction. We continue to demand his immediate release.”

According to The Wall Street Journal, Gershkovich has been held at the famous Lefortovo prison in Moscow for almost a year now, spending around 90% of his day in a small cell.

Typically, espionage trials are done in secret, and if convicted, could carry a prison sentence of 10 to 20 years. However, surfacing reports suggest that Russian President Vladimir Putin had claimed that he is open to considering a prisoner exchange.

In a recent interview, Putin hinted that discussions between the U.S. and Russia are underway.

“There is no taboo to settle this issue. We’re willing to solve it,” Putin said. “But there are certain terms being discussed via special services channels. I believe an agreement can be reached.”