WSJ reporter Evan Gershkovich’s trial on bogus charges will be held behind closed doors amid fears of Putin stitch up

EVAN Gershkovich’s sham trial on bogus espionage charges will be held behind closed doors.

The innocent American, 32, has been wrongly accused by Vladimir Putin’s crooks of collecting “secret information” for the CIA.

AFP

US journalist Evan Gershkovich was arrested on bogus espionage charges in April last year and has been held in Moscow’s notorious Lefortovo prison ever since[/caption]

AP

Evan Gershkovich pictured in April looking defiant after over a year suffering in pre-trial detention[/caption]

The Wall Street Journal reporter was arrested in March last year while on a reporting trip in Yekaterinburg.

He has been held in Moscow’s notorious Lefortovo prison ever since.

Gershkovich became the first Western journalist since the Soviet era to be arrested for spying in Russia.

Last week, Russia accused him of working for the CIA and “collecting secret information” about Uralvagonzavod, a military facility in the Sverdlovsk region.

It was the first time Russian authorities had announced the details of the accusations against Gershkovich – after saying only that he was “caught red-handed”.

He will stand trial in the Ural Mountains city of Yekaterinburg, Russian authorities said.

And on Monday, the regional court handling the case said the trial would start on June 26 – and it will be held behind closed doors.

Gershkovich faces up to 20 years in prison if found guilty.

Gershkovich, his family, his employer and Washington have denied all charges against him – insisting the journalist was just simply doing his job.

The US said the charges had “zero credibility” and the Wall Street Journal slammed Russia’s announcement of a “sham trial” as “outrageous”.

The Wall Street Journal’s chief editor Emma Tucker and top executives said: “Evan Gershkovich is facing a false and baseless charge.

“Russia’s latest move toward a sham trial is, while expected, deeply disappointing and still no less outrageous.”

Washington last year declared Gershkovich “wrongfully detained” – which means the White House regards him as a political hostage.

“We have been clear from the start that Evan has done nothing wrong,” US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said.

“He should never have been arrested in the first place.

“The charges against him are false, and the Russian government knows that they are false. He should be released immediately.”

Washington has accused Moscow of arresting its citizens on baseless charges to use them as bargaining chips to secure the release of Russians convicted abroad.

In February, Putin, 71, said he would like to see Gershkovich freed as part of a prisoner exchange and that talks were ongoing.

But the Russian tyrant made clear he wanted any deal to involve the release of a Russian jailed in Germany for killing a Chechen dissident, assumed to be Vadim Krasikov.

He was serving a life sentence for the 2019 killing in Berlin of a Georgian citizen of Chechen descent.

On Monday, the Kremlin said there was “contact” with the US on a possible exchange involving Gershkovich.

“But they (talks) need to be held in total silence,” spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

Gershkovich has repeatedly launched appeals to secure his freedom – all have so far been rejected.

Born in the US, the journalist, who had worked for AFP before joining the Wall Street Journal, is a well-known member of the Moscow press corps.

Since his arrest, Gershkovich has been held at Moscow’s notorious Lefortovo Prison – the Soviet-era’s most prominent prison used during Joseph Stalin’s purges.

At the prison, Gershkovich shares a small cell with another inmate.

Despite the grim conditions, at each court appearance Gershkovich has smiled defiantly and appeared in good spirits.

Other US nationals detained in Russia include reporter Alsu Kurmasheva, who was detained last year for failing to register as a “foreign agent”.

Her employers have slammed the case against her as politically motivated.

Former US marine Paul Whelan, who has been in a Russian prison since 2018 and is serving a 16-year sentence on espionage charges, is also pushing to be included in any future prisoner exchange.

AFP

Evan Gershkovich has appeared defiant at each court appearance[/caption]

AFP

Gershkovich being escorted out of the Lefortovsky court in Moscow in January[/caption]