BREAKING: US journalist´s appeal against detention rejected by Russia  

A Russian judge has denied the appeal made by US journalist Evan Gershkovich against his detention after he was arrested on charges of espionage.

A court in Russia has denied the appeal against the detention of the Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who was jailed in Moscow on espionage charges.

According to Russian state media, cited by Metro on Tuesday, April 18, Gershkovich will remain in custody until the end of May and if convicted could face a sentence of up to two decades in jail.

Gershkovich made the appearance in court for the first time since he was arrested in March at a courtroom in Moscow.

He had been detained after travelling to the city of Yekaterinburg, near the Ural Mountains, to report on the Russian military, before his arrest.

The Federal Security Service (FSB), Russia’s top security agency had claimed that “Gershkovich had been “caught collecting information on the activities of one of the enterprises of the military defence complex”.

The agency also claimed he is “suspected of spying in the interests of the American government”.

Meanwhile, his legal team has requested that he should be placed under house arrest and released from prison after paying a bail amount.

The allegations by Russia have been denied by the White House and the Wall Street Journal, who have called for his immediate release.

Earlier on Monday, April 17, the United States along with 41 other countries signed off on a statement in connection with Gershkovich’s arrest demanding his release and accusing Russia of “infringing on the freedom of the press”.

As per TASS, the Public Relations Center of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB), said that “Evan Gershkovich, acting at the behest of the American side, collected information constituting a state secret about the activities of an enterprise within Russia’s military-industrial complex”.

Investigations were started by the FSB, who opened a criminal case against him under Article 276 of the Russian Criminal Code, related to “espionage”.

Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the journalist had been “caught red-handed”.