American reporter Evan Gershkovich has been in Russian custody for fifteen months on suspicion of espionage. Now the process begins. On Wednesday, the 32-year-old was presented to the public in a court in Yekaterinburg.
The Wall Street Journal correspondent stood shaved, arms folded and dressed in a shirt in a separate glass box in the courtroom. The procedure itself takes place behind closed doors. Neither the media nor friends, family members or U.S. embassy employees should support Gershkovich. Excluding the public is common in espionage or treason trials in Russia.
Gershkovich was arrested by the FSB domestic intelligence service in Yekaterinburg in the Urals on March 29, 2023. He is accused of espionage for the American secret service CIA. According to the investigating authorities, on behalf of the CIA in the Sverdlovsk region, he collected secret information about the work of a defense company that produces and repairs military equipment. If found guilty, he faces up to 20 years in prison. The newspaper and Gershkovich himself deny the spying allegations.
Kremlin ready for prisoner swap
The US presidential office called the allegations ridiculous. The American government also responded with clear words to the accusations, which had not yet been proven. “The allegations are baseless,” US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in Washington. The Kremlin has indicated it is ready for a prisoner exchange with the US.
Source: Krone
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