Closed-door trial date for Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich set in Russia
NY Post
Imprisoned Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich’s espionage trial will begin on June 26 and be held behind closed doors, according to the Russian court.
Gershkovich, 32, was formally indicted last week after spending more than a year in a Russian prison cell, with Moscow claiming the American reporter was a US spy.
The trial will be held in the Sverdlovsky Regional Court in Yekaterinburg, where Gershkovich was arrested.
Gershkovich faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted at the trial, which will be closed to the public, which is typical for espionage cases.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined to comment on the decision, saying it was the court that decided to keep the trial out of the public eye.
The American journalist was accused of “gathering secret information” about a facility in the Sverdlovsky region that produced and repaired military equipment, Russia’s Prosecutor General’s office announced last Thursday.
