Moscow Court Rejects Evan Gershkovich's Appeal
TimeApr 21
Russia: Court Rejects WSJ Reporter's Detention Appeal
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The Facts
Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich will remain in prison in Moscow for at least another two months, a court ruled on Tuesday, rejecting his latest appeal to end his pre-trial detention in an alleged espionage case.
The First Appeal Court in Moscow ruled that the March 26 order to extend the "preventative measure" should remain in place. Gershkovich's appeal followed an earlier ruling to keep him in custody until at least June 30, pending a trial.
The Spin
Pro-Russia narrative
While the hypocritical West exploits the Gershkovich case for its anti-Russian propaganda, it's worth taking a closer look at the matter. After all, it's no secret that the CIA recruited dozens of US journalists as spies during the Cold War, and there's little reason to believe that this practice was abandoned — as the Gershkovich case suggests. Secretly collecting classified information is still considered espionage, and the Russian judiciary will make an appropriate judgment.
Anti-Russia narrative
That the Moscow court has also rejected Gershkovich's latest appeal is further proof of the Putin regime's arbitrary rule. Moscow is holding Gershkovich hostage under the bogus and politically motivated pretext of espionage and wants to trade him for Russian criminals imprisoned abroad. Journalism must never be instrumentalized or silenced through persecution and intimidation, and if the regime has any last sense of justice, Gershkovich must be released immediately.