Trial Of Journalist Gershkovich Under Way In Russia; U.S. Calls For Immediate Release

The trial of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who has been in Russian detention for more than a year on espionage charges that he, his employer, and the U.S. government have rejected as politically motivated, began on June 26.

Gershkovich was seen with a shaven head as he stood in a glass box during a brief appearance before journalists, wearing an open-necked black-and-blue plaid shirt with his arms folded.

The proceedings continued behind closed doors in Yekaterinburg, the Ural city where Gershkovich was arrested on March 29, 2023 during a reporting trip. He has been charged with trying to obtain military secrets to pass on to the CIA.

The U.S. Embassy in Moscow, whose representatives were given brief access to the hearing, said in a statement that Russian authorities failed to provide any evidence to back the charges and called in a statement for Gershkovich's immediate release, urging Moscow to stop using U.S. nationals as leverage for political ends.

"We are talking about the Kremlin using American citizens to achieve its political goals. Russia must stop using the likes of Evan Gershkovich or [former U.S. Marine] Paul Whelan as bargaining chips. Both of them must be released immediately," the statement said.

No media, friends, or family members were allowed to attend the proceedings, which White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said was "nothing more than a sham trial."

Kirby told reporters on a conference call that Gershkovich has never been employed by the U.S. government and has never been a spy. He added that Russia has failed to justify his detention, saying he and Paul Whelan, a former U.S. Marine who also is jailed in Russia, are being used as bargaining chips, Kirby said.

Gershkovich, the American-born son of immigrants from the former Soviet Union, is the first U.S. journalist arrested on spying charges in Russia since the Cold War.

He risks up to 20 years in prison if found guilty, an outcome that is all but certain.

Russian Prosecutor Mikael Ozdoyev claimed Gershkovich was collecting secret military intelligence for the CIA.

"The investigation has established and documented that the American journalist of The Wall Street Journal, Gershkovich, on the instructions of the CIA...collected secret information about the activities of a defense enterprise about the production and repair of military equipment in the Sverdlovsk region," Ozdoyev told journalists, without offering any details about the alleged evidence.

The Wall Street Journal and the U.S. government have firmly rejected the charges, saying Gershkovich, 32, was merely doing his job as an accredited reporter when he was arrested.

Dow Jones CEO and Wall Street Journal publisher Almar Latour and Wall Street Journal Editor in Chief Emma Tucker issued a joint statement on June 26 on the "shameful and illegitimate" proceedings.

"It’s jarring to see him in yet another courtroom for a sham trial held in secret and based on fabricated accusations. While we are told he’s doing well given the circumstances, Evan’s wrongful detention continues to be a devastating assault on his freedom and his work and an unfathomable attack on the free press," the statement said. "It’s outrageous that he has already endured 455 days in prison when he never should’ve been arrested."

Gershkovich's family also issued a statement in which they said the past 15 months have been "extraordinarily painful" for both Evan and his family.

"We miss our son and just want him home. We’re deeply disappointed that he will have to endure further attempts to discredit him and to paint a picture that is unrecognizable to anyone who knows him."

Court officials said the next hearing for Gershkovich was set for August 13.

Gershkovich has been held in Moscow's infamous Lefortovo Prison ever since his arrest, and all his appeals for release have been rejected.

Gershkovich and Whelan, who is serving a 16-year sentence also on espionage charges, have been designated by the U.S. government as "wrongfully detained."

Such a designation ensures that the case is assigned to the office of the special envoy for hostage affairs in the U.S. State Department, raising the political profile of their situation and allowing the U.S. administration to allocate more resources to securing the prisoners' release.

Gershkovich is one of two American reporters currently being held by Russian authorities. The other is Alsu Kurmasheva, an RFE/RL journalist who holds dual U.S.-Russian citizenship.

Kurmasheva, 47, was arrested in Kazan in October and charged with failing to register as a "foreign agent" under a punitive Russian law that targets journalists, civil society activists, and others. She’s also been charged with spreading falsehoods about the Russian military and faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted.

RFE/RL and the U.S. government say the charges are reprisals for her work as a journalist for RFE/RL in Prague.

Unlike Gershkovich and Whelan, Kurmasheva has not been designated as " wrongfully detained" despite repeated calls by her employer and family for this to happen.

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Russian Court Again Extends Detention Of RFE/RL Journalist Alsu Kurmasheva

In a news release on June 26, the National Press Club in Washington reiterated its call for Kurmasheva to be recognized as wrongfully detained. National Press Club President Emily Wilkins said the club and others in the journalism community "have spoken out about the need for the State Department to immediately declare journalists detained by a foreign government as wrongfully detained."

Wilkins said the press club sent a letter calling for the change to President Joe Biden on April 14, 2023. It sent a similar letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken on November 28, 2023.

"No action was taken and there was no reply," Wilkins said. “There is no reason to have not done so after eight months, and there is no reason to wait one more day.”

Wall Street Journal Assistant Editor Paul Beckett voiced hope that the U.S. administration's efforts will bear fruit and Gershkovich, as well as Kurmasheva and Whelan, will be released.

"[U.S.] President [Joe] Biden has long promised to bring Evan home. We've seen efforts to that effect in the 15 months that he's been there. Obviously, there's only one definition of success. And that's for him to come home. So [we] really hope that this will spur efforts to bring him and Paul Whelan and Alsu and others home from Russia," Beckett told RFE/RL.

Another U.S.-Russian citizen, Ksenia Karelina, appeared in court in Yekaterinburg last week at the start of her trial on a treason charge, which will take place behind closed doors.

Karelina, 33, was arrested in February during a visit to her native Yekaterinburg after security officers accused her of sending $51.80 from her U.S.-based bank account to the Razom for Ukraine foundation, which helps Ukrainian civilians.