A Russian court on Monday announced it will hold the espionage trial of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich behind closed doors late in June.
The 32-year-old American journalist has been detained in Russia for more than a year on allegations of of spying for the CIA, a charge that the newspaper describes as “false and baseless.”
The Russian court detailed the charge in a statement on Monday, saying that “Gershkovich, an American journalist for The Wall Street Journal, on the assignment of the CIA, collected secret information in the Sverdlovsk region on the activities of the defense enterprise JSC NPK Uralvagonzavod for the production and repair of military equipment,” according to a statement.
“The trial will be held behind closed doors. The first court hearing is scheduled for 26 June 2024,” the Sverdlovsk Regional Court said in the statement.
The Kremlin, meanwhile, said on Monday that contacts had taken place with the United States over a possible prisoner exchange involving Gershkovich, Reuters reported.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov quoted President Vladimir Putin’s remarks earlier this month at a meeting with senior international news agency editors. Putin said then that Russia and the U.S. were in contact on the issue.
“They go on but should continue to be conducted in complete silence,” Peskov said on Monday. “Therefore, no announcements, statements, or information on this matter can be provided.”
Gershkovich was detained by Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) in the city of Yekaterinburg, east of Moscow, on March 29, 2023, while on a reporting assignment.
Russian authorities haven’t publicly presented evidence to back up their allegations against the reporter, according to the newspaper.
“Gershkovich’s arrest is indicative of a disturbing trend in Russia, which has seen an unprecedented increase in the number of journalists — both Russian and foreign citizens — imprisoned for their work,” the United Nations said in March, calling for his immediate release.
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