Gershkovich, 32, appeared in the glassed-in area reserved for the accused, with his head shaved and dressed in a blue and black checkered shirt. On the glass “cage” there was a yellow padlock.
Journalists were able to enter the room for a few minutes before the start of the closed-door hearing. Two consular officials from the US embassy in Moscow were also able to access, briefly, according to the diplomatic legation.
The hearing lasted about two hours and the next one will be held on August 13, judicial officials indicated.
“Today our colleague Evan Gershkovich faced the shameful and illegitimate lawsuit that the Russian regime has brought against him,” said Almar Latour, CEO of Dow Jones and director of the Journal, and Emma Tucker, its top editor.
“It is shocking to see him in yet another court, for a false trial, carried out in secret and based on invented accusations,” the statement says. “While we are told it is fine under the circumstances, Evan’s wrongful detention remains a devastating affront to his freedom and work and an unimaginable attack on press freedom.”
Jay Conti, executive vice president and general counsel of Dow Jones, described the trial as a sham during an interview with The Associated Press.
“He was an accredited journalist who did journalism and this is a sham trial, false charges that are completely fabricated,” Conti added.
Born in the United States to parents who immigrated from the former USSR, Gershkovich is the first Western reporter arrested for espionage in post-Soviet Russia. He was arrested during a cover in the city because, according to authorities, he was collecting secret information for American intelligence. The State Department declared that he is “unjustly detained,” showing the government’s commitment to securing his release.
The newspaper has worked diligently to keep the case on the public agenda and it has become a topic of debate in the months leading up to the November presidential elections.
The American newspaper The Wall Street Journal denounced the accusations against its reporter as false Evan Gershkovichwho is being tried in Russia for alleged espionage, while the White House assured that it will make every effort to ensure that he “returns home.”
“It is outrageous to see him in court for a rigged trial, which is carried out in secret and is based on fabricated accusations,” the newspaper’s directors Almar Latour and Emma Tucker said in a statement on Wednesday.
Gershkovich, 32, was detained in Russia 15 months ago during a reporting trip through the country on espionage charges that he denies. The journalist appeared this Wednesday before a court in the city of Yekaterinburg on the first day of his trial, which is being held behind closed doors.
Since his arrest on March 29, 2023, Gershkovich has been held in the well-known Lefortovo prison in Moscow. He has appeared healthy in his previous court appearances, in which requests for release were rejected.
“Evan has shown remarkable resilience and strength in the face of his grim situation,” US Ambassador Lynne Tracy said on the first anniversary of his arrest.
If the court finds him guilty, Gershkovich faces up to 20 years in prison, which is almost certain. Russian courts condemn more than 99% of the courts and the prosecution can appeal sentences that it considers too light, and even acquittals.
Russia’s interpretation of what constitutes espionage is also broad. Igor Sutyagin, an arms control expert at the Russian Academy of Sciences think tank, was jailed for espionage for 11 years for transmitting material he said was in the public domain.
Paul Whelan, an American security executive, was arrested in Moscow for espionage in 2018 and is serving a 16-year sentence.
Gershkovich’s arrest came almost a year after Russian President Vladimir Putin imposed laws that intimidated journalists, criminalizing criticism of the war in Ukraine. and statements considered to discredit the army. Many foreign reporters left the country after the laws were passed, although some returned in the following months, but there are concerns that the Russian authorities could act against them.
The arrest raised fears of possible Russian attacks on Americans, at a time of growing tension between the Kremlin and Washington. Last year, Alsou Kurmasheva, a reporter with dual U.S.-Russian citizenship who works for the U.S. government-funded Radio Libertad/Radio Free Europe, was detained for allegedly violating the law requiring the registration of so-called “foreign agents.” ”.
Another dual national, Los Angeles-based Ksenia Karelina, is also on trial in Yekaterinburg on treason charges after she allegedly raised funds for a Ukrainian organization that provided weapons and ammunition to kyiv. Several Western reporters have been forced to leave the country following Gershkovich’s arrest after Russia refused to renew their visas.
Source: With information from AP/AFP
