US Reporter Held by Russia on Spying Charges DENIED RELEASE: Here’s What We Know

A judge in Russia said on Tuesday that the American reporter Evan Gershkovich cannot leave jail, even though he is accused of breaking the law by spying. This case is part of a plan from the government to control those who disagree with it and stop people from talking about things related to the war in Ukraine.

The Wall Street Journal reporter, who was 31-years-old, showed up in a Moscow City Court for the first time after weeks of staying out of public. He stood inside a glass cage wearing blue jeans and a checkered navy-blue shirt. He talked with his lawyers while pacing around nervously, every now and then smiling at some of the other reporters that had gathered inside the courtroom.

Gershkovich is the first journalist from the United States to be taken into custody by Russia since the Cold War ended, and this has caused a lot of disturbance in both countries. Gershkovich’s employer, as well as the U.S. government, do not believe that he did something wrong and they demand that he should be released immediately.

Evan Gershkovich is part of the press, and was doing his job until he got arrested. The U.S. said that this arrest was wrong. Last week in Russia, Federal Security Service accused Evan of trying to get access to secret information at a weapons factory, which caused them to detain him.

A judge said that Gershkovich will have to stay in jail until May 29 and won’t be released despite his lawyers’ requests. His lawyers wanted him either to be placed under house arrest or put on bail for 50 million rubles (about $610,000), but those requests were refused. The Journal which Gershkovich publishes for, Dow Jones, was not happy with the ruling.

Russian journalist Vasily Polonsky posted a video of Gershkovich nodding as Polonsky said to him: “Evan, don’t give up. Everyone is sending you their best wishes!”

If Gershkovich gets convicted, he could be sentenced to up to 20 years in prison. Russian lawyers have said that it usually takes between one and 18 months for espionage cases and during this period he might not be able to talk with anyone outside the court.

He’s been kept in Moscow’s Lefortovo prison, which has been around since czarist times and is a very scary place known for the horrible stuff done to people during Soviet rule.

His lawyer, Tatyana Nozhkina said that he was doing ok inside, even though it isn’t a nice place to be. She also mentioned that Gershkovich seemed to be in good spirits while he was there and hadn’t complained of any medical issues. In addition, she shared that he was exercising a lot and reading books like “War and Peace” by Leo Tolstoy.

Nozhkina said that her friend eats porridge every morning and this reminded him of his childhood in Russia. His parents moved to America from the Soviet Union. She also said he’s determined to prove his innocence by defending press freedom.

Gershkovich has received some letters from his parents and other supporters, but he is not allowed to make any phone calls. He thinks that when he’s released, he might write a book about what happened to him.

The situation is happening when there are bad disagreements between Russia and countries like the US and UK, because of a fight in Ukraine. The government has also become more serious in stopping its opposition activists, independent reporters, and civil society groups.

The Russian government has taken extreme steps to punish people who disagree with them, which is something that hasn’t been seen since the Soviet Union. People are saying that journalists and others who oppose the war are being accused of crimes just for speaking out.

On Monday, a court punished Vladimir Kara-Murza Jr., an important leader of the opposition, with 25 years in prison because he disagreed with the war. Similarly, another court convicted a dad and made him go to jail for two years because his daughter did some drawings that were against the war.

The ambassadors of USA, UK and Canada met with Russia’s government after they listened to a case on Monday. The United States wants Moscow to let them talk to Gershokvich in prison. Ambassador Lynne Tracy visited Gershkovich one day before the hearing and said that he was healthy and should be released soon.

Last week, the President of the United States, Joe Biden, spoke to Gershkovich’s parents and said that it is totally against the law what is happening. He made sure they understood this very clearly.

Nicholas Daniloff was an American reporter who got arrested by Moscow for espionage in 1986. He wrote for U.S. News and World Report and was locked up for 20 days before the FBI (a powerful U.S. law enforcement agency) swapped him with a Soviet Union member working at the United Nations, who also got arrested on spying charges.

A Russian official recently said that Russia might talk about possibly trading Gershkovich if he goes through the legal system first. That doesn’t seem like it’s going to happen soon though.

Last December, an American basketball player (Brittney Griner) and a Russian arms dealer (Viktor Bout) were exchanged after both of them had been in court for different things. Brittney had been caught with drugs and given nine years in jail, but she was only there for 10 months before the swap.

Paul Whelan, an American from Michigan, has been held in Russian prison since December 2018. His family and the U.S. government think he is there unfairly and that the charges being made against him don’t make sense. If you want to read more about the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, take a look at this website! https://bigbignews.net/russia-ukraine-war