Detained Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich to receive appeal in Russian court

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No doubt WSJ reporter is wrongfully detained, Blinken says

Fox News senior foreign affairs correspondent Greg Palkot has the latest developments on Russias detainment of WSJ reporter Evan Gershkovich on The Story with Martha MacCallum.

Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich will receive an appeal hearing by a Russian court according to a Moscow spokesperson on Thursday.

The Wall Street Journal revealed last week that Gershkovich, their Moscow bureau reporter, was arrested by the Russian government's Federal Security Service on charges of espionage on behalf of the United States. The publication has vehemently denied these charges while several of Gershkovich’s colleagues have defended his integrity.

After continued pressure from the White House and other government leaders, the Moscow City Court confirmed that it would hear an appeal from Gershkovich’s lawyers. 

Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich was detained by Russian officials on espionage charges. (Fox News)

According to the report by the Wall Street Journal, the court will hear an appeal on Apr. 18, though it is unclear whether Gershkovich will appear in person or through a video link. In addition, the court proceedings are allowed by law to take place behind closed doors so long as the final decision can be communicated to the public.

WALL STREET JOURNAL REPORTER’S IMPRISONMENT BY RUSSIA RAISES QUESTIONS ABOUT WHY HE WAS TARGETED 

The report did not specify any requests made by Gershkovich’s lawyers.

Gershkovich was originally detained by Russian forces on Mar. 29 in the city of Yekaterinburg after being accused of "trying to obtain secret information," "on the activities of one of the enterprises of the Russian military-industrial complex." At the time, the Russian Foreign Ministry previously recognized him as an accredited journalist. Gershkovich also worked as a reporter for Agence France-Presse and the Moscow Times as well as a news assistant at the New York Times.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed the Evan Gershkovich's release with his Russian counterpart on Sunday. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

BLINKEN DEMANDS RUSSIA RELEASE DETAINED WALL STREET JOURNAL REPORTER IN RARE CALL WITH KREMLIN COUNTERPART 

Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke to his Russian counterpart on Sunday regarding the "grave concern" the White House had about Gershkovich's arrest while also calling for the release of fellow detained American Paul Whelan. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre confirmed on Tuesday that Gershkovich’s release was a "priority" for President Biden.

"We’re going to continue to call for the release of Evan Gershkovich." Jean-Pierre said. "These charges are ridiculous. Evan is not a spy. Evan has never been a spy. Evan has never worked for the U.S. government, and he is an independent journalist employed by the Wall Street Journal, as you all know."

Biden also demanded that the Moscow prison "let him go" while speaking with reporters last week.

President Biden called for the release of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich.  (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

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Under Russian law, Gershkovich could be detained in a Russian jail for up to a year based on his charges. It is unsure whether the Russian court could decide to uphold Gerhskovich’s detention, release him on bail, place him on house arrest or move him to a new prison.