UPDATE - Moscow court extends detention of WSJ reporter by 3 months: Reports

ADDS US STATEMENT

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) - The detention of Wall Street Journal (WSJ) correspondent Evan Gershkovich was extended for three months, Russian state media said Tuesday.

"By the decision of the Lefortovsky District Court of the city of Moscow dated May 23, 2023, the detention period for Evan Gershkovich … was extended for three months and one day, that is, until August 30, 2023," the press service of Moscow’s Lefortovo Court told Russia’s state news agency, TASS.

The US Embassy in Moscow responded with a statement on Telegram that said it was "deeply concerned" about the extension of Gershkovich's pre-trial detention for three months.

It said the decision follows the "unreasonable" denial of a second embassy request for a consular visit.

"The United States strongly objects to Russia's continued denial of consular access to Mr. Gershkovich. We reiterate that the charges against him are unfounded and call for the immediate release of Mr. Gershkovich," it said.

Gershkovich was arrested by the Federal Security Service (FSB) in Yekaterinburg in late March and has been detained on espionage charges, a claim the WSJ "vehemently” denied.

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

Russian authorities have argued that Gershkovich was caught “red-handed” and said his case will be dealt with according to the law.

The Russian Foreign Ministry announced last Friday that the US Embassy’s request for a consular visit to Gershkovich was once again rejected “in response to the refusal to issue visas to Russian journalists” during Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s trip to UN headquarters in New York last month.