Russian court declines to consider appeal by US reporter Gershkovich against detention in spy case

Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich stands inside an enclosure for defendants before a court hearing to consider an appeal against his pre-trial detention on espionage charges in Moscow, Russia, September 19, 2023. REUTERS/Evgenia Novozhenina

MOSCOW (Reuters) -A Moscow court on Tuesday declined to consider the latest appeal by U.S. reporter Evan Gershkovich against his pre-trial detention, nearly six months after his arrest on spying charges that he denies.

The court's press service said the case was being sent back to a lower court, meaning that the 32-year-old Wall Street Journal reporter remains in Moscow's Lefortovo prison awaiting his trial, for which no date has been set.