The Secret Trial of Evan Gershkovich Has Begun

Fifteen months after his arrest in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg on espionage charges, Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich's closed-door trial has begun. The AP reports the 32-year-old attended court in a padlocked glass defendants cage, his head shaved. Details:

• The charges: Both the US government and the Journal vehemently deny the accusation that Gershkovich was, as Russian prosecutors allege, collecting intel on a tank factory near Yekaterinburg at the CIA's behest. Russia has yet to make public any evidence that it says supports its accusation.
• A brief look: Journalists were escorted out of the room before the proceedings began, and the Journal reports Gershkovich smiled and waved in their presence.

• What happened Wednesday: It's thought the hearing lasted about two hours. Gershkovich will next be in court on Aug. 13, and it's unclear how long the trial will last. The Journal reports that per the Russian legal system, lawyers for defendants accused of espionage can't publicly share any info on the proceedings.
• The outlook: The AP reports less than 1% of defendants end up being acquitted by Russian courts. As the Journal's editor-in-chief, Emma Tucker, put it in a letter to readers Tuesday, "This bogus accusation of espionage will inevitably lead to a bogus conviction for an innocent man." He faces up to 20 years if convicted.
• Lines from the US Embassy in Moscow: "We have been clear from the start that Evan has done nothing wrong and never should have been arrested in the first place. His case is not about evidence, procedural norms, or the rule of law. It is about the Kremlin using American citizens to achieve its political objectives."
• About Gershkovich: He's the first US journalist to be arrested on espionage charges in Russia since the Cold War. CNN reports he started working for the Journal in January 2022; unlike the reporters with many foreign newsrooms, he remained in Russia following the country's invasion of Ukraine.
• These past 15 months: The New York Times has details on how he has spent his days, which include one hour of time for exercise: "Gershkovich has plowed through Russian literary classics like War and Peace, and played slow-moving chess by mail with his father in the United States."

(More Evan Gershkovich stories.)