SHOW TRIAL
Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich has appeal REJECTED and will stay in Russian prison on bogus spy charges
DEFIANT jailed US journalist Evan Gershkovich has stared down his prosecutors as he appears in a Russian court for the first time.
The caged Wall Street Journal reporter, 31, was captured by Putin's secret police last month on spurious spying charges.
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In courtroom footage released by Russian state TV, Gershkovich appeared inside a giant class cell used in many trials of political prisoners.
The journalist, who has Russian and British passports, kept his arms folded as he stared defiantly out at his prosecutors.
Wearing a blue checked shirt, he didn't say anything to the gathered reporters taking pictures of him at the court in Moscow.
On Tuesday, he learned that he had lost his appeal against his pre-trial detention after a short hearing.
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Mr Gershkovich was arrested in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg on March 29 and charged with espionage.
It is the latest assault by Vladimir Putin on the free press in Russia since his brutal invasion of Ukraine in February last year.
Gershkovich's arrest is the first by Moscow of a US journalist on spying charges since the Cold War.
He has denied the charges against him and Putin's secret police are yet to provide any evidence of spying.
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Russia claims he was trying to obtain classified defence information for the US government.
The WSJ says he was in the city covering the actions of the Russian mercenary army the Wagner Group.
Last Tuesday, the US demanded Gershkovich's release and accused the Kremlin of having "wrongfully detained" him.
Today's court appearance was part of an appeal against his detention, although it appears to have been used by Russia as an excuse to parade him.
His appeal against his pre-trial detention was rejected by the court in Moscow on Tuesday.
This means he will be held until May 29 at the earliest before his case goes to trial.
If found guilty, he faces up to 20 years in jail.
Last week, Gershkovich's first letter home to the US was received.
The two-page letter dated April 5 arrived at his family's home in Philadelphia on Friday.
He said that he was "not losing hope" and was reading and exercising in the Lefortovo prison where he is being held.
Gershkovich also joked about prison food, claiming his mum had "prepared me well" for it growing up.
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The US ambassador to Russia, Lynne Tracy, was in the courtroom for the appeal hearing.
She said that the jailed reporter was in "good health and remains strong".
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