US JOURNALIST ARRESTED IN RUSSIA

 

He appeared in court in Moscow today – the first time he had been seen in public for weeks.

He was arrested in the city of Yekaterinburg while working for the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) newspaper and charged with spying.

The court rejected his legal team’s offer to free him on bail of $614,000 or put him under house arrest.

Mr Gershkovich will stay at a former KGB prison until May 29 at least.

Along with his lawyer, US ambassador to Moscow Lynne Tracy was also present in the courtroom.

This is the same court where Kremlin critic Vladimir Kara-Murza was just convicted of treason and sentenced to prison on Monday.

Media were allowed in the courtroom at the start of the hearing before being ushered out and will be permitted to return at the end of the hearing.

Speaking outside the court after the hearing, Ms Tracy said she had been given access to Mr Gershkovich for the first time on Monday and that he was in “good health and remains strong despite the circumstances”.

She explained that the charges against him are baseless and called on the Russian Federation to immediately effect his release.

More than 40 countries, led by the US, have released a joint statement at the United Nations on Monday calling for his release and condemning Moscow for intimidating the media.

The 31-year-old journalist was arrested on March 29 and could face up to 20 years in prison if found guilty of espionage.