Moscow court rejects US journalist's appeal against pre-trial detention

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - A Moscow court rejected on Thursday an appeal against pre-trial detention by US journalist Evan Gershkovich, who was arrested on espionage charges in March.

At the hearing in the Russian capital, the Moscow City Court turned down Gershkovich's application to be released from prison while awaiting trial.

US Ambassador Lynne Tracy, who was present at the hearing, told reporters that she was "extremely disappointed" by the ruling.

Tracy said Russia has thrice rejected the US Embassy's requests for consular access to Gershkovish, whom she visited last time in April.

Gershkovich, who worked as a reporter at the Wall Street Journal's Moscow bureau, was arrested by the Federal Security Service in the city of Yekaterinburg.

US officials have demanded Gershkovich’s immediate release, with Secretary of State Antony Blinken designating him as “wrongfully detained.”

Russian authorities, however, say Gershkovich was caught “red-handed” and his case will be dealt with according to the law.

Moscow says the requests for consular access were rejected in response to Russian journalists not getting US visas to travel with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to the UN in New York in April.