WSJ reporter Evan Gershkovich is a 'hostage' of Vladimir Putin: Kurt Volker
Former U.S. ambassador to NATO Kurt Volker says Russia is purposefully holding WSJ reporter Evan Gershkovich hostage to pressure the U.S. over its support for Ukraine on 'Fox News Live.'
A Russian court upheld the imprisonment of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich on Tuesday and rejected his latest appeal, meaning the journalist will remain in Russian prison until at least March 30, the Journal reported.
Russia seized Gershkovich on March 29, 2023, while he was reporting in Yekaterinburg, and accused him of espionage. Gershkovich, the U.S. government and the Wall Street Journal all deny the spying charges, and he's been declared wrongfully detained by the Biden administration. He has been denied all his appeals and faces a likely conviction.
"Evan Gershkovich appeared in the Moscow City Court today, where an appeal of his wrongful detention was denied once again," the Journal said in a statement. "It’s been nearly one year since Evan’s unjust arrest for doing nothing more than his job, and every day he remains in prison is an unconscionable attack on a free press. Evan is a journalist, and any suggestion or portrayal otherwise is fiction. We continue to demand his immediate release."
Gershkovich has been held in the notorious Lefortovo prison in Moscow for nearly a year, spending roughly 90% of his day in a small cell, according to the Journal.
WALL STREET JOURNAL REPORTER EVAN GERSHKOVICH TURNS 32 WHILE WRONGFULLY DETAINED BY RUSSIA
Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich stands in a glass cage in a courtroom at the Moscow City Court, in Moscow, Russia, on Thursday, Dec. 14, 2023. Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gerhskovich, arrested in Russia on espionage charges, will remain in detention until Jan. 30, a court in Moscow ruled on Thursday. The hearing took place behind closed doors because authorities say details of the criminal case against the American journalist are classified. (AP Photo/Dmitry Serebryakov)
The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday that Russian investigators have failed to present evidence to support their espionage allegations.
The Russian Court upheld the detention of Gershkovich after Russian President Vladimir Putin recently said he was open to a prisoner exchange.
In a recent interview, Putin suggested that Gershkovich could be released through a prisoner exchange and that discussions between the U.S. and Russia are underway.
"There is no taboo to settle this issue. We're willing to solve it," Putin said. "But there are certain terms being discussed via special services channels. I believe an agreement can be reached."
PUTIN HINTS AT PRISONER SWAP FOR WSJ REPORTER EVAN GERSHKOVICH
Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich stands inside an enclosure for defendants before a court hearing to consider an appeal against his pre-trial detention on espionage charges in Moscow, Russia, October 10, 2023. (REUTERS/Evgenia Novozhenina/ File Photo)
Gershkovich marked 300 days in a Moscow prison in January.
"300 days is 300 too long for Evan to be wrongfully detained by Russia. Evan was doing his job as a journalist, and any portrayal to the contrary is fiction," Wall Street Journal assistant editor Paul Beckett told Fox News Digital.
The Wall Street Journal had Beckett, who previously served as Washington bureau chief for the paper, concentrate solely on efforts to free Gershkovich.
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Fox News' Brian Flood, David Rutz and Joseph Wulfsohn contributed to this report.