Russian court rejects appeal of WSJ reporter held on spying charges

An appeal by American journalist Evan Gershkovich against his pretrial detention on espionage charges in Russia was rejected by a Moscow court on April 18.

The US government and Gershkovich's employer, The Wall Street Journal, strenuously deny the charges against him, CBS News reports.

Gershkovich, the first US journalist to be detained in Russia since the Cold War, was taken into custody while reporting in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg on March 29. He could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted on espionage charges.

The US government declared Gershkovich "wrongfully detained" about a week ago, meaning a designated office within the US State Department will lead efforts to secure his release.

President Joe Biden has condemned Gershkovich's detention and spoke to his parents last week.

"We're making it real clear that it's totally illegal what's happening, and we declared it so," Mr. Biden said.