The defense of American journalist Evan Hershkovich, arrested last week in Russia on “espionage” charges he denies, filed an appeal on Monday against his detention, a Moscow court announced, AFP reports.

“The same (official) lawyer who represented Hershkovych’s interests during his arrest filed an appeal,” said the press secretary of the Lefortovsky Court in Moscow.

“The hearing date for the detention appeal will be announced this week,” she added, adding that the application would be heard by another high court.

General Secretary of the Public Committee for Monitoring Places of Imprisonment in Moscow, Oleksiy Melnikov, said that he visited the journalist in the Lefortovsky pre-trial detention center.

In Telegram, he noted that Hershkovych “did not complain” about the conditions of his detention. “During the visit, he was cheerful and joked a lot during the conversation,” he added.

Evan Hershkovichi, the Russia correspondent for the prestigious American daily Wall Street Journal and former AFP correspondent in Moscow, was remanded last Thursday until at least May 29.

He was arrested in Yekaterinburg (Urals) by the Federal Security Service (FSB), which accused him of “espionage”.

The Wall Street Journal and the reporter, who is respected by his colleagues for his rigor, deny the allegations.

US President Joe Biden on Friday called for the journalist’s release, while the White House called the spying allegations “ridiculous”.

His arrest came amid heightened media repression in Russia following the invasion of Ukraine, which has greatly strained relations between Moscow and Washington.

It also follows the exchange in December between American basketball star Brittney Griner, who is in custody in Russia, and Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, who is in a US prison.

Washington has repeatedly accused Moscow of arbitrarily arresting Americans as a bargaining chip for the return of Russians detained in the United States.

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