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WSJ Reporter Evan Gershkovich Faced Russian Court For His Secret Trial

Jamie Parsons
Jamie Parsons  |  July 04, 2024 10:00 AM

On June 26, the Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich underwent the first of many court hearings in his Russian secret trial. 

Gershkovich, a 32-year-old American journalist, had a secret court hearing in Yekaterinburg, Russia, lasting 2 ½ hours. The media, U.S. Embassy personnel, fellow reporters, and friends and family were ushered out of the courtroom, leaving Gershkovich and his defense team alone to fight against charges of espionage. The court said his next hearing is scheduled for Aug. 13, according to The Wall Street Journal. 

Gershkovich was arrested and accused of espionage while on a correspondent’s trip in Yekaterinburg in March 2023. Diplomats and legal experts had little faith Gershkovich would be released because espionage trials in Russia are conducted in “secret and almost always end in conviction,” The Wall Street Journal reported. Fifteen months later, theories from diplomats and legal experts have been deemed to be true. 

No one will know the direction the case is leaning toward until the verdict is announced at the end of the trial, for even Gershkovich’s lawyers can not publicly discuss the case. The judge in charge of Gershkovich’s fate, however, reportedly said in 2021 that he had only issued “three or four acquittals in 21 years of service.” If Gershkovich is convicted, he could face 10 to 20 years in prison.

When Gershkovich was first arrested, The Biden Administration, The Wall Street Journal, and his colleagues claimed the accusation was false and asked for his immediate release. It appeared to everyone that Gershkovich was not going to be released because Russia was holding him prisoner for political purposes. Unfortunately for Gershkovich, almost a year after his arrest Russia tried to use him as leverage over the U.S. 

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In February, Russian President Vladimir Putin “indicated” he would release Gershkovich back to the U.S. in exchange for a Russian prisoner, The Wall Street Journal reported. Last week, Russia said it was still waiting for a response from Washington about a “prisoner swap.”

Former president Donald Trump responded to Gershkovich's trial, claiming the journalist would be released "prior" to Trump taking office if he was elected president in November.