Russian trial of US journalist Evan Gershkovich resumes after being brought forward
By Sergey Gudkov and Anna Chernova, CNN
(CNN) — A Russian court resumed the espionage trial of American journalist Evan Gershkovich on Thursday after it was moved forward by a month at the request of his defense.
Gershkovich attended the court hearing in person, according to the court’s press service. But the hearing is being held behind closed doors and little other information was immediately available.
Gershkovich, the first American journalist to be arrested on spying charges in Russia since the Cold War, first went on trial on June 26 at the Sverdlovsky Regional Court in the city of Yekaterinburg, where he appeared in a courtroom’s glass cage with his head shaved.
He was arrested while reporting for the Wall Street Journal, during a reporting trip in Yekaterinburg in March 2023, and later accused of spying for the CIA. Gershkovich, the US government, and the WSJ have vehemently denied the charges against him.
US and Western officials have accused Russia of using Gershkovich and other jailed foreigners as bargaining chips for possible prisoner exchanges.
A high-profile swap in 2022 saw US basketball star Brittney Griner exchanged for arms dealer Viktor Bout. But Russia refused to release another jailed US citizen, Paul Whelan, as it was seeking a former colonel from Russia’s domestic spy organization in return.
If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison. A sentencing date has yet to be announced.
The British Consul General in Ekaterinburg, Ameer Kotecha, attended the hearing as a listener — but like other listeners, he won’t be able to get into the courtroom, according to Russian state media TASS.
Roger Carstens, US special presidential envoy for hostage affairs, said the US Embassy in Russia planned to seek permission to attend the Thursday hearing, TASS reported.
CNN has reached out to the US Embassy in Russia.
Before his transfer to Yekaterinburg, the 32-year-old journalist was imprisoned in Moscow’s notorious Lefortovo Prison, spending almost every hour of the day in a small cell.
He passed the time by writing letters to his friends and family, his parents said in an interview with the WSJ, adding that he has been allowed just one hour of walking per day.
This story has been updated with additional information.
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