Evan Gershkovich was detained in March 2023 for allegedly “spying” on a Russian defense company in Yekaterinburg.
Russia will hold a closed-door trial of detained American reporter Evan Gershkovich later this month, a court in the city of Yekaterinburg announced.
The Sverdlovsk Regional Court said on Monday that the first hearing, scheduled for June 26, will take place “behind closed doors.” However, the Kremlin suggested it would be open to a prisoner exchange.
The court stated that the reporter, who worked for The Wall Street Journal when he was arrested in the Siberian city last year, is accused of collecting “secret information” in March 2023 “on instructions from the CIA”.
According to the charges, which carry a potential sentence of up to 20 years in prison, the journalist was spying on the production and repair of military equipment at the defense company JSC NPK Uralvagonzavod when he was detained by the Federal Security Service (FSB).
‘Outrageous’
Following last week’s announcement that Gershkovich would be tried for his “CIA work,” the Wall Street Journal said the reporter faced “a false and baseless accusation” based on “calculated and transparent lies.”
“Russia’s latest move toward a mock trial is, while expected, deeply disappointing and yet no less scandalous,” read a letter signed by editor Almar Latour and editor-in-chief Emma Tucker.
“Evan spent 441 days unjustly detained in a Russian prison simply for doing his job. Evan is a journalist. The Russian regime’s defamation of Evan is disgusting, disgusting and based on calculated and transparent lies.”
Latour and Tucker said they hope the U.S. government will increase efforts to secure their release.
Gershkovich also appealed his detention several times, but his attempts were unsuccessful.
The detention of the first American journalist on espionage charges in Russia since the Cold War shocked Western news organizations, leaving almost no American reporters in Russia.
The White House called the accusations “ridiculous,” with President Joe Biden adding that the detention was “completely illegal.”
Russia said the reporter was caught “red-handed.”
Prisoner exchange
Russian President Vladimir Putin said there had been contact with Washington about a possible prisoner exchange for the reporter, but insisted such meetings should be held away from the media.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined on Monday to comment on why Gershkovich’s trial should be closed, saying it was a judicial decision.
Russia conducts some of its most secret weapons research and production at the Nizhny Tagil-based company Uralvagonzavod, where Gershkovich is accused of carrying out espionage.
The company – part of Rostec, Russia’s vast defense corporation run by Putin ally Sergei Chemezov, which is under US sanctions – has spoken publicly about producing T-90M main battle tanks and modernizing T-72B3M tanks. .
This story originally appeared on Aljazeera.com read the full story
