Imprisoned Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich appeared in a Russian court Wednesday at the start of an espionage trial, facing almost certain conviction.
That could end up paving the way for an eventual swap as Russian officials have said talks on a possible exchange deal could only take place after a court verdict.
Gershkovich, 32, and the newspaper have denied Russian Federal Security Service accusations that he was spying for the CIA when he was detained in the Urals city of Yekaterinburg during a reporting trip in March last year. It’s the first time since the Cold War that Russia has put a U.S. reporter on trial for alleged espionage, which can carry a 20-year sentence.
The hearing at the city’s Sverdlovsk Regional Court took place behind closed doors. The next hearing in the case was scheduled for Aug. 13, according to Interfax news service, which cited the court. It’s unclear how long the whole trial will last or when the verdict will be handed down, though Russian trials almost always end in conviction of the accused.
The trial “is unfair to Evan and a continuation of this travesty of justice that already has gone on for far too long.” WSJ Editor-in-Chief Emma Tucker said in a letter to readers published Tuesday. “This bogus accusation of espionage will inevitably lead to a bogus conviction for an innocent man who would then face up to 20 years in prison for simply doing his job.”
The State Department has formally determined that Gershkovich was “wrongfully detained,” allowing the U.S. to negotiate on his behalf.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a June 5 meeting with foreign media that intelligence services of the two countries were in contact, and that the U.S. was taking energetic steps to secure the reporter’s release.
In an interview with American media personality Tucker Carlson in February, Putin said “certain conditions” were being discussed to release Gershkovich, and alluded to the case of a man he called a “patriot” who was jailed for murder in a European country. That was an apparent reference to Vadim Krasikov, who is serving a life sentence in Germany for the 2019 killing of a former Chechen rebel in Berlin.
Russia has previously suggested it’s seeking Krasikov’s return in prisoner-swap talks.
American WNBA star Brittney Griner was exchanged for notorious Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout in 2022. Former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan remains incarcerated after being sentenced to 16 years in 2020 on spying charges he denies. Whelan was detained in December 2018 while attending a wedding in Moscow.
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