Russian justice has postponed until Thursday the resumption of the closed trial of American journalist Evan Gershkovich, accused of espionage, which was scheduled for August 13, the court said today.
The court hearing was postponed “at the request of the defense,” the press service of the Sverdlovsk Regional Court in the Urals told the French agency AFP.
The court added that the hearings would remain closed to the public and the press.
A Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reporter who was questioned by police while reporting on a story in March 2023 has been in custody for nearly 16 months on charges that Russian authorities have never confirmed.
Gershkovich, the WSJ, his relatives and the US administration have categorically denied accusations that he was acting on behalf of the CIA, the US spy agency.
Russia has never given anyone access to the “dossier”, claiming that it is confidential.
For Washington, the main goal of detaining the journalist is to make a possible prisoner exchange profitable.
Moscow has acknowledged that it negotiated Gershkovich’s release, and Russian President Vladimir Putin has cited the case of Vadim Krasikov, who is in prison in Germany for a contract killing attributed to Russian intelligence services.
Gershkovich’s trial began on June 26 in Yekaterinburg, in the Urals, where he was held in custody, becoming the first Western journalist since the Soviet Union to be charged with spying in Russia.
If found guilty, the maximum possible sentence is 20 years in prison.
The White House condemned the “mock trial,” reiterating that Gershkovich never worked for the United States government, is not a spy, and “should never have been detained.”
A UN panel of experts subsequently ruled that Hershkovich’s detention was arbitrary and that the journalist should be immediately released.
Investigators say Gershkovich, who also worked for AFP in Moscow in 2020-2021, collected sensitive information for the CIA about one of Russia’s main arms manufacturers, Uralvagonzavod.
This plant produces T-90 tanks and new generation Armata tanks used in Ukraine, as well as freight cars.
Russia also holds other Americans in prison, including Russian-American journalist Alsa Kurmasheva, who was detained in 2023 for a crime under the Foreign Agents Act.
Former Marine Paul Whelan is serving a 16-year prison sentence for espionage, a charge he is contesting.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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