A Wall Street Journal reporter who was arrested by Russia on spy charges has today been seen in public for the first time since he was detained as he appeared in court for an appeal hearing.
Evan Gershkovich is appealing his detention on spying charges, which are part of a sweeping Kremlin crackdown on dissent amid the war in Ukraine.
The reporter looked calm as he stood inside a glass cage at the Moscow City Court, wearing a checked shirt and keeping his arms folded in front of him.
He did not say anything while the court heard a complaint filed by him against the decision to keep him in custody in the Lefortovo prison in Moscow.
But a Russian judge upheld the detention despite the journalist, his employer and the US government denying the allegations.
"Evan is a member of the free press who right up until he was arrested was engaged in newsgathering. Any suggestions otherwise are false," the Journal has said in a statement.
Russia's Federal Security Service detained the 31-year-old in Yekaterinburg in March and accused him of trying to obtain classified information about a Russian arms factory.
Last week, the US government declared that he was "wrongfully detained" - a designation that means his case receives special attention from the State Department.
Today, US Ambassador Lynne Tracy was in the courtroom too. The Moscow City Court is considering a defense appeal of his detention on Tuesday.
Gershkovich could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted. Russian lawyers have said past investigations into espionage cases took a year to 18 months, during which time he could have little contact with the outside world.
The arrest comes at a moment of bitter tensions between the West and Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine and as the Kremlin intensifies a crackdown on opposition activists, independent journalists and civil society groups.
The sweeping campaign of repression is unprecedented since the Soviet era.
Activists say it often means the very profession of journalism is criminalised, along with the activities of ordinary Russians who oppose the war.
Last month, a Russian court convicted a father over social media posts critical of the war and sentenced him to two years in prison.
On Monday, a Russian court convicted top opposition figure Vladimir Kara-Murza Jr. of treason for publicly denouncing the war and sentenced him to 25 years in prison.
The US has pressed Moscow to grant consular access to Gershkovich. On Monday, Ambassador Tracy said she visited Gershkovich in prison for the first time since his detention.
She said on Twitter that "he is in good health and remains strong," reiterating a US call for his immediate release.
US President Joe Biden spoke to Greshkovich's parents last week and again condemned his detention.
"We're making it real clear that it's totally illegal what's happening, and we declared it so," he said.
A top Russian diplomat said last week that Russia might be willing to discuss a potential prisoner swap with the US involving Gershkovich after his trial.
That means any exchange is unlikely to happen any time soon.
In December, American basketball star Brittney Griner was exchanged for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout following her trial and conviction on drug possession charges.
She had been sentenced to nine years in prison and ended up spending 10 months behind bars.
Another American, Michigan corporate security executive Paul Whelan, has been imprisoned in Russia since December 2018 on espionage charges, which his family and the US government have called baseless.
