The 31-year-old journalist has not been seen since his March 29 imprisonment. Russia has accused him of attempting to gain access to classified information about an arms manufacturer.
The appeal of Wall Street Journal correspondent Evan Gershkovich’s pre-trial detention was denied by a Russian court.
The reporter was arrested in Moscow’s notorious Lefortovo prison earlier this month for espionage.
Mr. Gershkovich, 32, appeared in court in Moscow today to appeal the decision to hold him in a former KGB prison until at least May 29.
The reporter stood silently in a glass cage within the courtroom, with his arms crossed.
If convicted, Mr. Gershkovich faces up to 20 years in prison.
Russia’s Federal Security Service accused him of attempting to acquire classified information about a Russian arms manufacturer upon his arrest.
Mr. Gershkovich was the first American journalist arrested on espionage accusations in Russia since the end of the Cold War, and he has always “categorically” denied the charges.
Attending Tuesday’s hearing, US Ambassador to Russia Lynne Tracy stated that Mr. Gershkovich “deserves to go home.”
Outside the Moscow court, Tracy said, “He is in good health and remains strong.
President Joe Biden has condemned Mr. Gershkovich’s detention, stating that the United States has made it “very clear” that Russia’s actions were “completely illegal.”
