On Wednesday, Evan Gershkovich appeared in court for the first day of his trial in Russia. The 32-year-old Wall Street Journal reporter had been detained in Moscow's Lefortovo prison for over a year after being arrested and charged with "espionage," but was recently transferred to Yekaterinburg, where the alleged crimes took place.
The United States has maintained that Gershkovich is innocent, and has been vocal in its desire to have the American reporter returned home. While the Kremlin has expressed openness to a prisoner swap, Russian authorities have not backed down from proceeding with the trial.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Wednesday's hearing lasted around two hours, during which prosecutors outlined their case against Gershkovich. His next court appearance is scheduled for August 13.
Prosecutors alleged that their investigation "established and documented" that Gershkovich, "on the instructions of the CIA in March 2023, collected secret information in the Sverdlovsk region about the activities of the defence enterprise … [at] Uralvagonzavod [industrial complex] for the production and repair of military equipment." It was also claimed that "the illegal actions were committed by Gershkovich in compliance with careful measures of secrecy."
"We have been clear from the start that Evan has done nothing wrong and never should have been arrested in the first place," the US Embassy in Moscow wrote in a statement. "His case is not about evidence, procedural norms, or the rule of law. It is about the Kremlin using American citizens to achieve its political objectives."
WSJ publisher Almar Latour and editor-in-chief Emma Tucker slammed the proceedings as "shameful and illegitimate," saying in a statement that, "it's jarring to see him in yet another courtroom for a sham trial held in secret and based on fabricated accusations."
"The time to bring Evan home is now," they added, "and we continue to demand his immediate release."
Gershkovich's family also issued a statement saying the past 15 months "have been extraordinarily painful" for them. "We miss our son and just want him home. We're deeply disappointed that he will have to endure further attempts to discredit him."
