The Court of the Russian region of Sverdlovsk The hearing of the trial against the American journalist began this Wednesday Evan Gershkovichcorrespondent of The Wall Street Journalaccused of espionage, a crime that in Russia is punishable by up to 20 years in prison.
“The judge entered the room. The process began“, the court spokesperson told reporters. Irina Toshcheva.
Russian television showed images of Gershkovich32, in which he is seen standing inside the defendants’ glass box in his shirt sleeves and arms crossed, moments before the start of the hearing.
evan Gershkovich He had a shaved head and was wearing a dark checkered shirt. The journalist greeted some of his colleagues with a barely audible “hello.”
By order of the Court, which has its headquarters in Yekaterinburgthe capital of the Sverdlovsk region, the trial against the journalist is being held behind closed doors.
Jay Contiexecutive vice president and general counsel of Dow Jones, harshly criticized the trial in an interview with The Associated Press.
“He was an accredited journalist doing journalism, and this is a false trial, with completely invented charges,” he said.
After his arrest on March 29, 2023, Gershkovich was detained in Lefortovo prison, known for its harsh conditions. Although he has remained in good health during the court hearings, his appeals to be released have been rejected.
The United States ambassador to Russia, Lynne Tracyhighlighted the strength and resilience shown by Gershkovich during this time. “Evan has demonstrated remarkable resilience and strength in this dark situation,” he commented on the first anniversary of his arrest.
Almar Latour and Emma Tuckerdirectors of The Wall Street Journal, They defended him in a statement, denouncing that the charges are “false and baseless.”
“The Russian regime is smearing Evan with calculated and transparent slander. Journalism is not a crime“, they emphasized.
Gershkovich, the son of Soviet immigrants, was arrested in Yeterimburgo, while he was doing a report for The Wall Street Journalafter which he was formally accused of espionage for him Federal Security Service (FSB) of Russia.
According to the indictment, the journalist was collecting secret information in the Sverdlovsk region about the activities of the defense company JSC NPK Uralvagonzavodmanufacturer of tanks, among other heavy weapons.
The president of United States, Joe Bidenhas stated that Washington will continue working “every day to achieve his release” and will remain “firm” against all those who “seek to attack the press or journalists, the pillars of a free society.”
The Kremlin has also said that it is maintaining contacts with the US side on the situation of Gershkovich, as noted by the Russian president, Vladimir Putinon the 5th an interview with the main international news agencies.
“There are such contacts (…) they are underway and must continue to be carried out in complete informative silence”said the spokesman for the Russian Presidency, Dmitri Peskov.
The possibility of a prisoner exchange is not ruled out, although Russia points out that it will not be possible before a verdict, which could take months to arrive, since trials in Russia are often suspended for weeks.
Although relations between Russia and the United States are seriously deteriorated, there was a prisoner exchange in 2022 that allowed the release of the WNBA star, Brittney Grinerin exchange for arms dealer Viktor Bout. However, the Biden administration could face criticism for appearing to offer too much in these exchanges, as it did with Bout.
(With information from EFE and The Associated Press)
