A Russian court has rejected the appeal of US journalist Evan Gershkovich against his pre-trial detention.
He appeared in court in Moscow on Tuesday – the first time he had been seen in public for weeks.
He was arrested in the city of Yekaterinburg while working for the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) newspaper and charged with spying.
Mr Gershkovich stood with folded arms in a bullet-proof glass enclosure, wearing jeans and a blue checked shirt.
He gave a quick smile while standing calmly, but did not say anything to the reporters present.
The court rejected his legal team’s offer to free him on bail of 50 million roubles ($614,000) or put him under house arrest.
Mr Gershkovich will stay at a former KGB prison until 29 May at least.
Along with his lawyer, US ambassador to Moscow Lynne Tracy was also present in the courtroom.
This is the same court where Kremlin critic Vladimir Kara-Murza was just convicted of treason and sentenced to prison on Monday.
Media were allowed in the courtroom at the start of the hearing before being ushered out and will be permitted to return at the end of the hearing.
Speaking outside the court after the hearing, Ms Tracy said she had been given access to Mr Gershkovich for the first time on Monday and that he was in “good health and remains strong despite the circumstances”.
Source: bbc.com
