TRUMPED UP TRIAL
Brave WSJ reporter Evan Gershkovich smiles at his parents as Moscow court keeps him locked up on bogus spy charges
BRAVE Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich smiled at his parents in a Moscow court today - almost three months after his arrest on trumped up "espionage" charges.
The US journalist, 31, stood in the glass dock to appeal against the decision to keep him in jail, which sparked outrage around the world.
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The distinguished Wall Street Journal reporter has been held in Moscow's notorious Lefortovo prison ahead of his trial, which has no set date.
Wearing blue jeans and a black T-shirt, Gershkovich smiled at journalists present in the courtroom.
Today the court upheld the detention of the WSJ reporter, ordering that he remain in the prison until at least August 30.
In March, he was arrested on charges of "espionage" while on a reporting trip in Yekaterinburg - if convicted he could face up to 20 years in prison.
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His parents, Mikhail Gershkovich and Ella Milman, emigrated to the United States from the Soviet Union in 1979, and were present in court to support their son.
Mum Ella said prior to today's hearing: "I want to scream and say ‘Give me back my son!'
"It’s very hard, but I will be there smiling. I will be smiling for Evan, and they are not going to see my tears."
Speaking outside the court US Ambassador Lynne Tracy said: “We were extremely disappointed.
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“The charges against him are baseless."He is an innocent journalist who was carrying out journalistic activities and has been wrongfully detained.
“Such hostage diplomacy is unacceptable and we call on the Russian Federation to release him.”
The United States has called him "wrongfully detained", a term used by the State Department to deem the charges as bogus and the arrest as politically-motivated.
and was accredited by the Russian Foreign Ministry to work as a journalist.
Emma Tucker, the Wall Street Journal's editor in chief, told the BBC she had low expectations from Thursday's appeal but it was important to go through the legal process.
The Wall Street Journal said: "Although the outcome was expected, it is no less an outrage that his detention continues to be upheld.
“Evan has been wrongfully detained for more than 12 weeks for nothing more than doing his job as a journalist. We continue to demand his immediate release."
: "The actions of the Russian government are completely unjustified. Evan is a member of the free press who right up until he was arrested was engaged in newsgathering. Any suggestions otherwise are false.
"We will carry on doing everything in our power to secure Evan’s release.
"We are working closely with the State Department and relevant U.S. government officials, as well as legal teams here and in Russia to ensure Evan is able to get home safely and that his health and well-being are maintained while he is in custody."
In April, an earlier request from his lawyers that he be transferred to house arrest, agree to restrictions on his movements, or be granted bail, was denied.
Gershkovich is being held at a time when relations between Washington and Moscow are at the lowest point since the Cold War after Russia began the brutal war in Ukraine.
In May, Boris Johnson piled pressure on Russia to release Evan from prison, as politicians and journalists around the world have come together to fight for his release.
Russian officials are yet to provide any evidence to back up their claims behind the reason for his arrest.
In a letter to his parents after his arrest, Evan's spirits remained high: "I read. I exercise. And I am trying to write. Maybe, finally, I am going to write something good.
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"Mum, you unfortunately, for better or worse, prepared me well for jail food.
"In the morning, for breakfast, they give us hot creamed wheat, oatmeal cereal or wheat gruel. I am remembering my childhood."
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