Russian Media Reports American Journalist's Trial Behind Closed Doors

The Russian state news agency TASS announced on Monday, June 18, that Evan Gershkovich, an American journalist for The Wall Street Journal, will be tried in ten days in Yekaterinburg behind closed doors. Gershkovich, 32, was arrested in March 2023 during a media trip by the Russian Federal Security Service and charged with 'attempting to obtain state secrets,' an accusation that he, the U.S. government, and his employer, The Wall Street Journal, have vehemently denied. The Russian Attorney General's Office announced on Thursday, June 15, that it had approved the indictment and referred Gershkovich's case to the lower court, stating that if found guilty, he could face up to 20 years in prison. Russian prosecutors claim that Gershkovich was acting on orders from the CIA at the time of his arrest and also allege that he was gathering 'classified information' about a Russian tank factory. A U.S. State Department spokesperson expressed concern over the closed-door trial and stated that U.S. embassy officials in Russia are trying to attend the court session. Matthew Miller added, 'We are trying to attend the court session, just as we try to attend the court of every American citizen detained in Russia.' He also emphasized that the U.S. will continue efforts to free Gershkovich and another American citizen, former Marine Paul Whelan, who is wrongfully detained. Evan Gershkovich has spent over a year in the notorious Lefortovo prison in Moscow, and his pre-trial detention has been repeatedly extended. The court is located in Yekaterinburg, over 1,700 kilometers east of the Russian capital. Also, Alsu Kormashova, the editor of Radio Free Europe 'Radio Liberty,' is another American journalist who has been detained and imprisoned in Russia since October 2023. Following Russia's military invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, which Moscow refers to as a 'special military operation,' tensions between the U.S. and Russia have increased. Analysts believe that Russia is using the detention and imprisonment of American citizens on spurious security charges as leverage. The U.S. has repeatedly warned its citizens not to travel to Russia. Russia has announced the finalization of the indictment against the imprisoned American journalist and the location of his trial. Russia has extended the detention of the American journalist 'Radio Liberty' for the third time. Biden, on the anniversary of an American journalist's detention by Russia, stated: 'Journalism is not a crime.' The Kremlin stated that 'complete silence' is needed regarding the potential exchange of the imprisoned American journalist. The detention of Evan Gershkovich has been extended for another three months. The Russian court has again extended Gershkovich's detention 'without charges.' Russia has extended the detention of the American journalist from Radio Free Europe for another two months.