A court in Moscow, acting at the request of Russian authorities, on Thursday extended the pretrial detention of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich to November.
Gershkovich has been held since March 29 when he was arrested by Russia's Federal Security Service, or FSB, on espionage charges while on a reporting trip in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg.
"The court's decision in respect of Gershkovich extended the period of detention for three months, and only up to eight months, that is, until November 30, 2023," the court's press service said.
Gershkovich, the Wall Street Journal and the United States have denied the charges against him, while the U.S. State Department has designated the journalists as being wrongfully detained.
In making that designation, the State Department examines the totality of the circumstances related to the arrest, including the fairness of the judicial process, the veracity of the charges and potential motivations for the person's detention.
Related Story: Russia Arrests American Journalist for “Illegal Activities”
