(RepublicanView.org) – A court in Russia announced that it will extend the detention of an American journalist until at least June 30 as he awaits trial.
According to ABC News, Lynne M. Tracy, the US ambassador to Russia, called the decision to extend the imprisonment of 32-year-old Evan Gershkovich “particularly painful” on the one year anniversary since he was arrested. She also called the accusations against him “fiction,” stating that they are completely false.
Gershkovich was detained by Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), the nation’s strong intelligence arm, on March 29, 2023. He was visiting Yekaterinburg to cover a story in the area. He was dropped off at a steakhouse that afternoon but could not be reached just a couple of hours later. The Wall Street Journal could not locate him until the Kremlin announced his arrest hours after he was detained.
The FSB claimed agents caught Gershkovich in the act of working on behalf of the US government to steal military secrets from Russia. He has filed multiple appeals to be released, but they have all been denied. The hearings were held out of public view after officials claimed the discussions referred to classified information. He was forced to wait in a glass cage during deliberations. He has been seen in court a dozen times since he was arrested.
US officials determined that Gershkovich was wrongfully detained after his arrest. Back in 2023, President Joe Biden said he was “serious” about his considerations to secure a prisoner exchange and free Americans held in Russia. However, his administration has said that negotiations have been fruitless thus far.
Emma Tucker, the editor-in-chief for the Wall Street Journal, said she’s confident that Gershkovich will eventually be released. However, she also called the process of securing his release “complicated” and said that it will take the work of many government officials on both sides to make it happen, per NPR.
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