The appeal of American journalist Evan Gershkovich against his pre-trial detention was denied by a Russian court.
On Tuesday, he appeared in court in Moscow, marking his first public appearance in weeks.
While working for the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), he was detained and charged with espionage in Yekaterinburg.
Mr. Gershkovich stood in a bulletproof glass enclosure with folded arms, wearing blue trousers and a blue checkered shirt.
He smiled briefly while standing still, but did not speak to the reporters present.
The court denied his legal team’s request to release him on a bond of 50 million roubles or to place him under house arrest.
Mr. Gershkovich will remain in an ex-KGB prison until at least May 29.
Lynne Tracy, US ambassador to Moscow, was present in the tribunal alongside his attorney.
Monday, Kremlin critic Vladimir Kara-Murza was convicted of treason and sentenced to prison by this same court.
The media were permitted to enter the courtroom at the beginning of the hearing before being escorted out. They will be allowed to return after the hearing.
Ms. Tracy stated outside the courthouse after the hearing that she was granted access to Mr. Gershkovich for the first time on Monday and that he is “healthy and resilient despite the circumstances.”
“The charges against Evan are without merit, and we demand that the Russian Federation release him immediately,” she said.
One of his solicitors, Maria Korchagina, stated, “He is a fighter.” “He is exercising with the knowledge that others are rooting for him.”
Another lawyer, Tatiana Nozhkina, said, “He is in a combative mood, denies guilt, and is prepared to prove it.”
Mr. Gershkovich responded no when the judge asked if he required a translation because he understood everything.
He is detained and perusing Russian literature.
Monday at the United Nations, more than 40 countries, led by the United States, issued a joint statement demanding Mr. Gershkovich’s release and condemning Moscow for intimidating the media.
On March 29, Mr. Gershkovich, 31, was arrested for espionage and might serve 20 years in prison.
Russia asserts he attempted to obtain classified defense information for the United States government. Mr. Gershkovich denies any improper conduct.
Moscow has never before accused an American journalist of espionage since the fall of the Soviet Union.
According to Reporters Without Borders, Mr. Gershkovich was covering the Russian mercenary organization Wagner in Yekaterinburg, approximately 1,600 kilometers (1,000 miles) east of Moscow.
Two hours after his driver left him off at a restaurant, according to US officials, his phone was turned off.
The WSJ’s attorneys were able to meet with him, and the company stated that it was doing “everything in its power to support Evan and his family.”
President Joe Biden, along with both Republican and Democratic senators, has denounced his detention.
The US special envoy for hostage affairs is currently handling his case.
According to the James Foley Legacy Foundation, 65 Americans were illegally detained abroad in 2022.
The daughter of human rights activist Andrei Sakharov, the first Soviet citizen to win the Nobel Peace Prize, has described the treatment of journalists as “primitive, unjustified, and abhorrent.”
Tatiana Yankelevich, a scholar based in the United States, wrote in an article about her friend Mr. Kara-Murza that he is unlikely to survive his 25-year prison sentence and that “there are many other lesser-known but ever-brave people resisting official lies and propaganda.”
