(PatriotPostNews.com) — An American journalist will soon appear in a closed-door trial in Russia to determine if he committed espionage.
Evan Gershkovich, a reporter for the Wall Street Journal, has been detained for the past year after being arrested by Russian authorities and accused of gathering “secret information” via a tank factory in Russia to report back to the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).
He was first arrested in March 2023, becoming the first American reporter to be held in Russia on charges of espionage since the Cold War. A spokesperson from the Kremlin said at the time that the charges were not “suspicions,” adding that Gershkovich was “detained red-handed.”
In contrast, the Journal immediately expressed “solidarity” with their reporter, saying it “vehemently denies” the accusations and demanded the journalist’s “immediate release.” The allegations were brought by the Federal Security Service (FSB). American government officials also described the charges as having “zero credibility.”
The journalist, who has denied the allegations, will have his trial in the Urals city of Yekaterinburg, where he was first arrested. The trial is scheduled to begin on June 26. For the past year, 32-year-old Gershkovich has been detained in Lefortovo, a high security prison in Moscow.
Comments from the Russian prosecutor in the case argue that Gershkovich is guilty based on an “established and documented” investigation. He added that the journalist “collected” top secret details about defense systems and military equipment being produced and repaired in the Sverdlovsk region. He added that the alleged “illegal actions” were willfully committed by the journalist with so-called “careful measures of secrecy.”
In a recent statement from the Journal’s editor in chief, Emma Tucker, and publisher, Almar Latour, the charges were once again slammed as “false and baseless.” The two also said that the case is an attack “on the free press.”
Tucker and Latour further stated that their journalist has been “wrongfully detained” for the past 441 days “for simply doing his job.” They criticized the Russian government for “smearing” a good journalist’s name with “transparent lies.”
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