WSJ journalist Evan Gershkovich's espionage trial begins in Russia

The closed-door trial of American journalist Evan Gershkovich began Wednesday in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg, 15 months after he was arrested and charged with espionage while reporting.

This is the first time since the Cold War that an American journalist has been tried for espionage in Russia. Gershkovich appeared calm in court Wednesday, smiling and greeting colleagues who had traveled to Yekaterinburg, nearly 900 miles east of Moscow, to report on the trial's opening moments. Gershkovich's head had been shaved, as is typical for prisoners in the Russian prison system.

Russian prosecutors announced earlier this month that they had finalized an indictment and established and documented that Gershkovich collected secret information about the Uralvagonzavod military plant in Russia's Yekaterinburg region while he was on a mission for the CIA. After Wednesday's hearing, court prosecutor Mikhail Ozdoev made a brief statement, alleging that Gershkovich committed illegal actions in secret.

Although Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Gershkovich was caught red-handed, no evidence was ever made public.

Gershkovich, the White House and his employer, the Wall Street Journal, deemed the accusations baseless. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison.

TO CATCH UP

Stories to keep you informed

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 tried, said John Kirby, White House national security spokesman.

Gershkovich, 32, who worked as an accredited journalist in Russia for six years, has been in pre-trial detention at Moscow's Lefortovo prison since his arrest in March 2023.

His case was transferred this month to a court in Yekaterinburg, where Gershkovich was initially arrested, and he was transferred to a detention center in the city. As is typical for espionage cases in Russia, the trial will remain behind closed doors and is expected to last several months.

Last year, the State Department said Gershkovich and former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, arrested in 2018 on similar charges, were wrongfully detained, a designation that commits the federal government to working for their release. The Kremlin has indicated it is open to the possibility of swapping Gershkovich for high-value Russian nationals imprisoned abroad once the verdict is delivered.

Russian President Vladimir Putin told right-wing US talk show host Tucker Carlson in February, in his first interview with a Western media personality since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, that a deal could be concluded with the United States to release Gershkovich. During the meeting, Putin indicated he wanted to secure the release of Vadim Krasikov, an alleged Russian intelligence agent convicted of the murder of a Chechen dissident in Berlin in 2019.

Asked again about the subject during an interview with international journalists in April, Putin said that U.S. and Russian officials continued to maintain contact on the issue.

I know that the American administration is taking vigorous measures to secure his release. It's true. Such issues are not decided by the media, they prefer a discreet, calm and professional approach and dialogue between security services, he said. And they should certainly be decided on the basis of reciprocity.

U.S. Embassy officials said they had brief access to Gershkovich before the trial and were in court.

Russian authorities have provided no evidence to support the charges against him, failed to justify his continued detention and failed to explain why Evans' work as a journalist constitutes a crime, it said. the embassy press release after the hearing. His case is not about evidence, procedural standards or the rule of law. This is about the Kremlin using American citizens to achieve its political goals. Russia should stop using individuals like Evan Gershkovich or Paul Whelan as bargaining chips.

In response, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Wednesday that the U.S. government's attempts to politicize the case were counterproductive, dismissing a question about a possible prisoner swap.

“We have repeatedly emphasized recently that the American administration, which is so interested in its fate and is so actively involved in its fate, should take seriously the signals it receives in Washington through the appropriate channels . She should not ignore them as she usually does, but think about the essence of these signals,” Mr. Riabkov said.

Kremlin spokesman Peskov, meanwhile, declined to comment on the trial and echoed Putin's comments on possible prisoner exchange negotiations.

No, we cannot talk about any signals at the moment. We can only repeat that this topic likes silence, he told reporters at a daily press briefing. We know that this topic is very high profile in the United States, but it is not as high profile in our country. The investigation is ongoing, the trial is ongoing, and we must wait for the verdict.

After Wednesday's hearing, Gershkovich's family released a statement describing the period since their sons' arrest as extremely painful for Evan and his family. Last year, Gershkovich's parents, who were born in the Soviet Union and emigrated to the United States, traveled to Russia to attend the appeals of two of their sons.

We miss our son and just want him to come home, the statement read. We are deeply disappointed to have to endure further attempts to discredit him.

In her own statement before Wednesday's trial, Wall Street Journal editor Emma Tucker described the case as a travesty of justice that has already gone on for far too long.

When his case goes before a judge this week, it will not be a trial in the sense we understand, with presumption of innocence and search for truth, she wrote. It will take place behind closed doors. No evidence has been released. And we already know the conclusion: this false accusation of espionage will inevitably lead to a false conviction for an innocent man who will then face up to 20 years in prison for simply doing his job. And he was doing a great job, too.

Gershkovich's next hearing is set for August 13.

Tyler Page contributed to this report.

Sources 1/ https://Google.com/ 2/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/06/26/journalist-evan-gershkovich-russia-trial/ The mention sources can contact us to remove/changing this article

What Are The Main Benefits Of Comparing Car Insurance Quotes Online

LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / June 24, 2020, / Compare-autoinsurance.Org has launched a new blog post that presents the main benefits of comparing multiple car insurance quotes. For more info and free online quotes, please visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/the-advantages-of-comparing-prices-with-car-insurance-quotes-online/ The modern society has numerous technological advantages. One important advantage is the speed at which information is sent and received. With the help of the internet, the shopping habits of many persons have drastically changed. The car insurance industry hasn't remained untouched by these changes. On the internet, drivers can compare insurance prices and find out which sellers have the best offers. View photos The advantages of comparing online car insurance quotes are the following: Online quotes can be obtained from anywhere and at any time. Unlike physical insurance agencies, websites don't have a specific schedule and they are available at any time. Drivers that have busy working schedules, can compare quotes from anywhere and at any time, even at midnight. Multiple choices. Almost all insurance providers, no matter if they are well-known brands or just local insurers, have an online presence. Online quotes will allow policyholders the chance to discover multiple insurance companies and check their prices. Drivers are no longer required to get quotes from just a few known insurance companies. Also, local and regional insurers can provide lower insurance rates for the same services. Accurate insurance estimates. Online quotes can only be accurate if the customers provide accurate and real info about their car models and driving history. Lying about past driving incidents can make the price estimates to be lower, but when dealing with an insurance company lying to them is useless. Usually, insurance companies will do research about a potential customer before granting him coverage. Online quotes can be sorted easily. Although drivers are recommended to not choose a policy just based on its price, drivers can easily sort quotes by insurance price. Using brokerage websites will allow drivers to get quotes from multiple insurers, thus making the comparison faster and easier. For additional info, money-saving tips, and free car insurance quotes, visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ Compare-autoinsurance.Org is an online provider of life, home, health, and auto insurance quotes. This website is unique because it does not simply stick to one kind of insurance provider, but brings the clients the best deals from many different online insurance carriers. In this way, clients have access to offers from multiple carriers all in one place: this website. On this site, customers have access to quotes for insurance plans from various agencies, such as local or nationwide agencies, brand names insurance companies, etc. "Online quotes can easily help drivers obtain better car insurance deals. All they have to do is to complete an online form with accurate and real info, then compare prices", said Russell Rabichev, Marketing Director of Internet Marketing Company. CONTACT: Company Name: Internet Marketing CompanyPerson for contact Name: Gurgu CPhone Number: (818) 359-3898Email: [email protected]: https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ SOURCE: Compare-autoinsurance.Org View source version on accesswire.Com:https://www.Accesswire.Com/595055/What-Are-The-Main-Benefits-Of-Comparing-Car-Insurance-Quotes-Online View photos