Global Courant 2023-04-18 16:17:39
LONDON — Evan Gershkovich, a Wall Street Journal reporter accused of espionage in Russia, arrived in court Tuesday for an appeals hearing.
The reporter, a correspondent from the newspaper’s Moscow bureau, is accused of “acting on behalf of the American side” and collecting state secrets about the military.
The Moscow court was expected to hear an appeal against the espionage charges brought by the legal team of Gershkovich, Tatyana Nozhkina and Maria Korchagina of the ZKS law firm, according to the Wall Street Journal.
American journalist Evan Gershkovich, arrested on espionage charges, stands in a defendant’s cage at the Moscow City Court in Moscow, Russia. US Ambassador to Russia Lynne Tracy stands nearby in a blue blazer. April 18, 2023.
Natalia Kolesnikova/AFP via Getty Images
Gershkovich arrived after noon local time, wearing a plaid shirt and jeans. He stood in a glass detention area in the courtroom, standard practice for criminal suspects in the Russian justice system.
Lynne Tracy, the US ambassador to Russia, was present in court. Members of the press were escorted out of the courtroom before the hearing and led to a nearby viewing room.
Russia’s intelligence agency FSB said on March 30 that it had detained the WSJ journalist for espionage.
Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who was detained on a reporting trip in March and charged with espionage, stands behind a glass wall of a fence for defendants ahead of a court hearing to consider an appeal against his detention, in Moscow, Russia , Apr 18, 2023.
Evgenia Novozhenina/Reuters
“It is established that Evan Gershkovich, acting on behalf of the American side, collected information, consisting of state secrets, about the activities of one of the enterprises of the Russian military-industrial complex. He was arrested in Ekaterinburg while attempting to obtain classified information” said Interfax, a Russian state-affiliated news agency, citing FSB officials.
The Wall Street Journal said the same day that it “vehemently denies” allegations of espionage leveled against its reporter by Russian intelligence.
Journalists and members of the Independent Association of Publishers’ Employees hold a rally in Washington, DC on April 12, 2023 to call for the release of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
The newspaper “seeks the immediate release of our trusted and dedicated reporter,” a WSJ spokesperson said in a statement, adding: “We stand in solidarity with Evan and his family.”
“He is a leading journalist and his arrest is an attack on a free press and should outrage all free people and governments around the world,” said Emma Tucker, WSJ Editor-in-Chief, and Almar Latour, WSJ Publisher and Dow Jones CEO, said in a joint statement.
Gershkovich is held in Lefortovo Prison awaiting trial. Tuesday’s hearing was his first public appearance since his arrest.
The Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, detained on suspicion of espionage, leaves a courthouse in Moscow, March 30, 2023.
Evgenia Novozhenina/Reuters, FILE
U.S. officials said on April 10 that they determined Gershkovich had been “unjustly” detained by Russia, a clue that would allow the U.S. government to more aggressively advocate for his freedom.
Tracy, the US ambassador, had visited the detained reporter on Monday, according to the State Department.
“I can report based on what Ambassador Tracy has said, he is in good health and in good spirits given the circumstances,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters. “We continue to call for his immediate release from this unjust detention.”
Patrick Reevell, Shannon K. Crawford, Teresa Mettela, Ellie Kaufman, and Cindy Smith of ABC News contributed to this report.
