The trial against the American journalist in Russia begins

2024-06-26 10:04:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

The trial against the American journalist in Russia begins

US journalist Evan Gershkovich in court in Yekaterinburg, Russia, June 26, 2024. Source: "Reuters"

The trial of jailed American journalist Evan Gershkovich in Russia began Wednesday on espionage charges that he, the Wall Street Journal and the US government deny are politically motivated.

Gershkovich was seen with a shaved head as he stood behind glass in a brief appearance before reporters in the courtroom.

His trial is being held behind closed doors in a court in Yekaterinburg, in the Urals city, where Gershkovich was arrested on March 29, 2023 during a reporting visit and charged with attempting to obtain classified military information.

The media, friends, family members, and even members of the US embassy are not allowed to attend court hearings.

Gershkovich, born in America to immigrant parents from the former Soviet Union, is the first American journalist to be arrested on espionage charges in Russia since the Cold War.

He faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted, which is almost certain.

Russian authorities have not provided any evidence to support the espionage charges against him.

The American daily "Wall Street Journal" - for which the journalist worked - and the American government, repeatedly reject Russia's claims.

Both institutions have stated several times that Gershkovich, 32, was doing his job when he was arrested.

Gershkovich has been held in Moscow's notorious Lefortovo prison since his arrest and all his appeals for release have been rejected.

Dow Jones CEO and Wall Street Journal publisher Almar Latour and the paper's editor-in-chief Emma Tucker said in a June 13 statement that Gershkovich is facing "false and baseless allegations."

The US government has said that Gershkovich and another American, former US Marine Paul Whelan, who is serving a 16-year prison sentence on espionage charges, have been "unjustly detained".

Another American citizen who is currently being held by the Russian authorities is Alsu Kurmasheva, a journalist for Radio Free Europe.

She was arrested in Kazan, Tatarstan, in October 2023 and accused of failing to register as a "foreign agent" and of spreading falsehoods about the Russian military.

If convicted, she faces up to 10 years in prison.

The American authorities have said that Kurmasheva was arrested as a sign of revenge for the work she did./ REL