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The latest picture of Evan Gershkovich, taken on March 26 in connection with his remand being extended yet again.
1 / 2Photo: Moscow Court/AP/TT
Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich has spent a year in Russian custody.
This week, his detention was extended for the fifth time. For the family back home in the US, the nightmare continues.
The 32-year-old will remain behind bars at least until June 30, a Moscow court ruled on Tuesday.
For the parents back home in the US, the repeated, hurried court appearances mean at least a chance to see the son.
– There are always mixed feelings. I am glad to see him and see that he is well, but it is a reminder that he is not with us. We want him home, says Gershkovich’s mother Ella Milman.
Can’t call
Evan Gershkovich, the first American journalist since the Cold War to be arrested on espionage charges in Russia, is being held in Moscow’s notorious Lefertovo prison. He was arrested at the end of March last year during a reporting trip to Yekaterinburg. The Wall Street Journal and the White House have dismissed the allegations as fabricated.
Gershkovich is not allowed phone calls. Every morning he wakes up to “the same gray prison walls”, says his friend Polina Ivanova, reporter at the Financial Times:
– To think that he has done it every day for the last year is terrible.
Possible prisoner exchange
Gershkovich’s father writes letters to his son about chess strategies and AI.
– He wants to be updated when he gets home, says Mikhail Gershkovich.
No one knows when that might be.
Washington has tried to negotiate a prisoner exchange to get the 32-year-old released, but according to Russia, such an exchange can only become relevant once he has been sentenced.
The negotiations on a prisoner exchange are taking place amid extreme tensions between the US and Russia, not least in view of the war in Ukraine and the upcoming US presidential election.