A Russian court on Tuesday (April 18) rejected the request for the release of American journalist Evan Gershkovich, in detention on espionage charges which he rejects, according to his lawyer. The arrest at the end of March of this correspondent of the prestigious American daily Wall Street Journal for “espionage”, the first case of this kind in decades in Russia, is part of a context of crisis between Washington and Moscow over the conflict in Ukraine.
Appearing in court for the first time in public since his incarceration, Evan Gershkovich, face determined and arms folded, repeatedly smiled at reporters filming or photographing him.
The 31-year-old reporter, who has himself covered several trials in Russia, was this time on the other side, locked in the glass cage reserved for the defendants, deep marks of handcuffs on his wrists. After a closed-door hearing, the judge decided to “leave unchanged” the remand order until at least May 29.
Despite this decision, Evan Gershkovich remains “combative”, said his lawyer Maria Kortchaguina. In prison, “he plays sports, he understands that people support him,” she added. “He was challenging his detention, he wants to prove he is not guilty, he wants to prove there is still space for press freedom,” she continued.
The Russian security services (FSB) arrested him at the end of March while he was on assignment in Yekaterinburg, in the Urals. The Kremlin claims that he was arrested in “flagrante delicto” for espionage, without advancing evidence to this effect, the file being classified secret. In particular, he was officially accused of having collected information on the defense industry.
Evan Gershkovich, his family, his employer and the American authorities categorically reject the charges of espionage, punishable by twenty years in prison, accusing Moscow of attacking him for his work as a journalist.
Where to shock
US Ambassador to Moscow Lynne Tracy, present in court on Tuesday, had been able to visit him the day before for the first time since the start of his imprisonment. “He is in good health and in good spirits despite the circumstances,” Ms. Tracy tweeted after the encounter.
The head of American diplomacy, Antony Blinken, again demanded on Monday the “immediate release” of the reporter, known for his rigor and his love of Russia. “I’m not giving up hope,” Mr. Gershkovich wrote in a letter to his parents from prison and published last week by The Wall Street Journal.
His arrest comes in the context of serious diplomatic tensions between the United States and Russia caused by the conflict in Ukraine, where Washington supports kyiv against Moscow. Since the launch of the Russian offensive against Ukraine last year, the Russian authorities have stepped up repression in Russia against opponents but also the media.
Thus, new criminal proceedings were announced on Tuesday against the main opponent of the Kremlin, Alexei Navalny, who is already serving a nine-year prison sentence. Now accused of having “disorganized the activities of the penitentiary institution”, he faces an additional five years of imprisonment.
While political opponents have been targeted for several years, Gershkovich’s arrest has sent shockwaves, as no Western journalist has been arrested and charged with spying in Russia for decades.
Many observers believe that he could serve in Moscow as part of a possible future prisoner exchange with Washington. In December 2022, American basketball star Brittney Griner, who was in Russian custody, was exchanged for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, who was detained in the United States. A date for the start of Mr. Gershkovich’s trial has yet to be announced.
