Evan Gershkovich ’14 Set to Spend at Least Two More Months behind Bars Â
By Tom PorterJailed Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich ’14 is set to spend to at least another two months behind bars in a Moscow prison, where he has been held in pretrial detention for nearly ten months.
According to and other news outlets, in a closed hearing at Lefortovo District Court in Moscow, a judge granted the request of federal investigators that Gershkovich remain behind bars awaiting trial until March 30.
The ruling, which happened on Friday, January 26, marked the fourth extension of Gershkovich’s detention since he was taken into custody in March 2023 on an allegation of espionage that he, the WSJ, and the US government vehemently deny. The extension means he is set to spend at least a year behind bars before a trial begins.
The decision was condemned by the WSJ and its parent company, Dow Jones.
“It is chilling and outrageous that Evan has now spent 10 months of his life in prison, simply for doing his job,” the companies said in a joint statement printed in the WSJ. “While these are clearly sham proceedings about patently false charges, we intend to appeal today’s ruling, as we have in the past. Journalism is not a crime, and we continue to demand Evan’s immediate release.”
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