Moscow Court Rejects Appeal of U.S. Reporter Evan Gershkovich, Keeping Him Jailed Until November

A Moscow court on Tuesday declined to consider an appeal by U.S. reporter Evan Gershkovich against his pre-trial detention, nearly six months after his arrest on espionage charges that he denies.

The Moscow City Court did not immediately rule on the appeal, causing confusion from Russian media that reported contradictory results from the closed session. State news agency RIA said the appeal was being sent back to a lower court due to unspecified “procedural violations.” The court said in a statement it sent Gershkovich’s case back to a lower court due to procedural violations.

Gershkovich, a reporter for the Wall Street Journal, was arrested on March 29 in the Urals city of Yekaterinburg on charges of espionage that carry up to 20 years in prison. He had failed in two previous appeals, in April and June, against his detention.

The state news agency Tass reported the court had rejected Gershkovich’s appeal, meaning he will remain jailed until Nov. 30. Before the session was closed, Gershkovich appeared in the glass defendants’ cage, smiling at journalists and wearing a yellow sweater and blue jeans.

Gershkovich’s lawyer, Ivan Pavlov, said he would appeal the decision to the Moscow City Court. Pavlov said the court had not provided any explanation for its decision and he was not allowed to present his arguments. He said he would also appeal to the European Court of Human Rights.