Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich's detention extended

"We are deeply disappointed he continues to be arbitrarily and wrongfully detained for doing his job as a journalist," the Journal said.

By Madeleine Hubbard

Published: August 24, 2023 11:22am

A Russian district court on Thursday ruled to extend the detention of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich through the end of November.

Gershkovich, a U.S. citizen who was reporting in Russia, has been detained since March. A Moscow court had ordered him in June to remain imprisoned until Aug. 30.

Russian prosecutors successfully argued Thursday that his pretrial detention should be extended three months, The Hill reported, citing the state-run media outlet TASS

Following the hearing, The Wall Street Journal reiterated its repeated statements that Gershkovich was wrongfully detained.

"We are deeply disappointed he continues to be arbitrarily and wrongfully detained for doing his job as a journalist," the paper said. "The baseless accusations against him are categorically false, and we continue to push for his immediate release. Journalism is not a crime."

Earlier this summer, the Russian government confirmed that it is talking with the U.S. government about a potential prisoner swap involving Gershkovich.

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