MOSCOW — A Moscow court, meeting behind closed doors Tuesday, extended the arrest of Evan Gershkovich, The Wall Street Journal correspondent accused of espionage, for more than three months, until August 30.
The refusal of bail and the extension of Mr. Gershkovich’s detention were widely expected, although Russia has presented no evidence to back the espionage accusation, which is vehemently denied by the United States government and The Wall Street Journal.
Mr. Gershkovich’s parents, Ella and Mikhail Gershkovich, waited for more than an hour outside the courtroom before being allowed in for their first sighting of their son since his arrest on March 29.
They were whisked away, in the company of one of Mr. Gershkovich’s lawyers, when the hearing ended. They did not comment on what they had seen. Before going in, Mr. Gershkovich’s father said: “We hope he is doing great and that he can be as strong as his mother.” Ms. Gershkovich wore a “Free Evan” button.
Mr….
This article was written by Roger Cohen and originally published on www.nytimes.com