quiltRussiaThe officers arrested”wall StreetA Moscow court today refused to hear the third appeal filed by Daily News journalist Gershkovic against his pre-trial detention. He suffered a heart attack about six months agodetectiveHe was arrested on the charge but denied committing the crime.
Reuters reported that the court press office announced the decision without explanation after a closed-door hearing in a Moscow court.
Russia’s state news agency RIA reported that a Moscow court sent Ivan Gershkovich’s appeal back to a lower court on the grounds of unspecified “violations of procedure.”
Gershkovich, who worked as a reporter for The Wall Street Journal, was arrested on March 29 in Yekaterinburg, a large city in Russia’s Urals Federal District. The espionage charge with which he was charged carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
A hearing date for Gershkovich’s case has not been set. Currently he is lodged in Lefortovo prison in Moscow. In August itself, the Lefortovo District Court had ruled to extend his custody for three months till November 30.
Gershkovic appealed against pre-trial detention in April and June, which were rejected.
US Ambassador to Russia Lynn Tracy told reporters after the hearing today: “It is unacceptable that Gershkovich and Paul Whelan are still being held in Russian prisons on trumped-up charges.”
Whalen is a former US Marine who was also arrested on espionage charges in 2018. He was found guilty in 2020 and sentenced to 16 years in prison.
Tracy also said, “The United States will not rest until Gershkovich and Whalen return home safely to their families and friends.”
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