WSJ reporter appeals against extension of detention in Russia

[May 26, 2023]  MOSCOW (Reuters) - Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich has appealed against a Russian court decision to extend his pre-trial detention by three months, court data showed on Friday.  

Gershkovich, a U.S. citizen, was arrested in March on espionage charges after Russia's FSB security service accused him of collecting military secrets in the city of Yekaterinburg.

Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who was detained in March while on a reporting trip and charged with espionage, stands behind a glass wall of an enclosure for defendants before a court hearing to consider an appeal against his detention, in Moscow, Russia April 18, 2023. REUTERS/Evgenia Novozhenina/File Photo

He was initially remanded in custody until May 29, but a court on Tuesday extended his detention in a closed hearing until Aug. 30.

The United States says he has been wrongfully detained and has called for his immediate release.

(Reporting by Reuters; writing by Caleb Davis; Editing by Kevin Liffey)

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