American journalist Evan Gershkovich faces new hearing in Russia

American journalist Evan Gershkovich, accused of espionage in Russia, was transported to another hearing on Thursday, according to a court in Yekaterinburg. The Associated Press reminded readers that the trial of the Wall Street Journal reporter, detained in the spring of 2023, is being held behind closed doors.

Gershkovich is the first American journalist accused of espionage in Russia since the Cold War. The reporter, the Wall Street Journal editorial team, and U.S. authorities maintain that he is innocent and was performing his regular professional duties as a correspondent formally accredited by the Russian Foreign Ministry.

Washington Post reports that "The Russian Prosecutor General’s office said last month that the journalist is accused of "gathering secret information" on orders from the CIA about Uralvagonzavod, a plant about 150 kilometers (90 miles) north of Yekaterinburg that produces and repairs tanks and other military equipment."

He was also accused of "carrying out the illegal actions using painstaking conspiratorial methods." The American administration deemed the reporter's detention "false" and demanded his release.

The call for the journalist's release, made last year by U.S. Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield, was signed by representatives of over 40 countries. They demanded the release of people held for political reasons and "an end to draconian repression against freedom of expression, including those aimed at media representatives," noted PAP.

So far, no evidence has been presented to confirm that the 32-year-old journalist, the son of immigrants from the USSR, was a spy.

On Wednesday, the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Sergey Lavrov, declared that Moscow has "irrefutable evidence" of the reporter's guilt. During a press conference in New York, the minister asserted that the trial "has nothing to do with attacks on the freedom of journalists."

He also assured that the Russian side advocates freedom of speech. At the same time, he blamed American journalists for hindering Moscow's talks with Washington concerning the potential exchange of the reporter and stated that confidential negotiations on this matter are still ongoing.

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 detained in the first place - said John Kirby, White House National Security Council spokesman, last month.

Espionage in Russia is punishable by up to 20 years in prison.

It is worth recalling that at the end of 2023, the U.S. State Department reported that it had made an exchange offer to Moscow, which the Kremlin rejected. The Russian Foreign Ministry announced that the potential exchange of the journalist could be considered only after the court's verdict is announced.