The Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, accused by Russia of spying, has had his pre-trial detention extended by three months to 30 June, a Moscow court said.
Gershkovich, his paper and the US government all strongly deny the charges, which carry a sentence of up to 20 years in jail.
Tuesday’s hearing was closed to media but the Moscow court service published photographs and a brief video showing Gershkovich standing in a glass box in the courtroom. He appeared relaxed and was smiling.
Friday will mark the anniversary of Gershkovich’s arrest in the Urals city of Yekaterinburg. He has failed in repeated appeals against his detention, which has already been extended several times. No date has been set for his trial.
Lynne Tracy, the US ambassador, visited the 32-year-old reporter in Moscow’s Lefortovo prison in March. The embassy said at the time: “Evan remains strong and resilient, but it is a tragedy that he is awaiting trial for a crime he did not commit.”
Washington has pledged to do “whatever it takes” to bring home Gershkovich and the ex-Marine Paul Whelan, who was convicted in 2020 and is serving 16 years in a Russian penal colony on spying charges that he too denies.
The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, has said Gershkovich could be released at some point in exchange for a Russian prisoner held abroad, but no such deal has so far materialised.