The trial against the American journalist Evan Gershkovich, who is being held behind closed doors, began on Wednesday in Yekaterinburg, Russia. Before the hearing, reporters on site were allowed to briefly film Gershkovich standing in a glass cage with a shaved head, reports Reuters.
In March 2023, Evan Gershkovich, a reporter at the Wall Street Journal, was arrested by the Russian security service in Yekaterinburg.
Gershkovich, who has since been imprisoned outside Moscow, has been charged with espionage on behalf of the United States. He is alleged by Russian authorities to have been caught “in the act” when he allegedly tried to get hold of secret information about the Russian military.
Dismisses charges
Evan Gershkovich denies wrongdoing. Both his employer the Wall Street Journal and the United States have dismissed the allegations as baseless and completely fabricated.
– I think it is quite clear that (Evan) was picked up with the aim of being able to be exchanged. Evan is a hostage. He is a bargaining chip and Putin is holding him as currency, Emma Tucker, editor-in-chief of the Wall Street Journal, told BBC Earlier this year.
If Gershkovich is convicted of espionage – which is considered the most likely outcome – he faces up to 20 years in a Russian prison. In cases like this, Russian courts convict over 99 percent of the defendants, according to AP.
A prisoner exchange is not ruled out
In recent years, several American citizens have been imprisoned in Russia. The US has accused Russia of using them as bargaining chips, in order to be able to make prisoner exchanges.
Russia has not ruled out a prisoner exchange involving Gershkovich, but says it is not possible in his case until there is a verdict.
Russia has previously hinted that it wants to exchange Evan Gershkovich for Russian officer Vadim Krasikov, who is sentenced to life imprisonment in Germany for shooting dead a Chechen man in Berlin in 2019. However, it is up to Germany to decide whether Krasikov should be released.
Who is Evan Gershkovich? In the video below, we sort it out.
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Evan Gershkovich: the first American journalist to be arrested for espionage in Russia since the Cold War. Photo: AFP/AP