Yekaterinburg, Russia – Yekaterinburg, Russia (AP) — Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich appeared in court in Russia on Thursday for the second hearing of his trial on espionage charges that he, his employer and the US government vehemently deny.
The court said Gershkovich appeared on Thursday for his trial, which takes place behind closed doors in Yekaterinburg, a city in the Ural Mountains where the 32-year-old journalist was detained during a reporting trip.
At the first hearing last month, the court was adjourned until mid-August. But Gershkovich’s lawyers asked the court to hold the second hearing early, Russian state news agency RIA Novosti and independent news website Mediazona reported on Tuesday, citing court officials.
Gershkovich’s employer and US authorities denounced the trial as false and illegitimate.
“Evan has never been employed by the United States government. Evan is not a spy. Journalism is not a crime. And Evan should never have been detained,” White House national security spokesman John Kirby said last month.
Authorities arrested Gershkovich on March 29, 2023, and alleged, without offering any evidence, that he was collecting classified information for the U.S.
The Russian Prosecutor General’s office said last month that the journalist is accused of “gathering secret information” on CIA orders about Uralvagonzavod, a factory about 150 kilometers (90 miles) north of Yekaterinburg that produces and repairs tanks and other military equipment.
Gershkovich faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted.
Russia has signaled the possibility of a prisoner swap involving Gershkovich, but says a verdict – which could take months – would have to be given first. Even after a verdict, it could still take months or years.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov blamed American journalists on Wednesday for helping to delay negotiations with their American counterparts over a possible prisoner exchange involving Gershkovich.
Lavrov told a UN press conference that confidential negotiations are still “ongoing”.
Gershkovich will almost certainly be convicted. Russian courts convict more than 99% of defendants who appear before them, and prosecutors can appeal sentences they consider too lenient, and can even appeal acquittals.
O Son of immigrants born in the United States From the USSR, Gershkovich is the first Western journalist arrested on espionage charges in post-Soviet Russia. The State Department declared him “unjustly detained,” thereby committing the government to assertively seek his release.
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