US reporter appears in court in Russia for second hearing on espionage charges

US journalist Evan Gershkovich has appeared in court in Russia for the second hearing in his trial on espionage charges.

The Wall Street Journal reporter, his employer and the US government all deny the charges against him.

The court said Gershkovich appeared on Thursday for his trial, which is taking place behind closed doors in Yekaterinburg, a city in the Ural Mountains where the 32-year-old journalist was detained while on a reporting trip.

At the first hearing last month, the court had adjourned until mid-August. But Gershkovich’s lawyers petitioned the court to hold the second hearing earlier, Russian state news agency RIA Novosti and independent news site Mediazona previously reported, citing court officials.

Gershkovich’s employer and US officials have denounced the trial as sham and illegitimate.

“Evan has never been employed by the United States government. Evan is not a spy. Journalism is not a crime. And Evan should never have been detained in the first place,” White House national security spokesman John Kirby said last month.

Authorities arrested Gershkovich on March 29 2023, and claimed without offering any evidence that he was gathering secret information for the US.

The Russian Prosecutor General’s office said last month that the journalist was accused of “gathering secret information” on orders from the CIA about Uralvagonzavod, a plant about 90 miles (150km) north of Yekaterinburg that produces and repairs tanks and other military equipment.

Gershkovich is facing up to 20 years in prison if convicted.

Russia has signalled the possibility of a prisoner swap involving Gershkovich, but said a verdict — which could take months — would have to come first. Even after a verdict, it could still take months or years.

The press had no access to the courtroom on Thursday and Gershkovich was not seen.

Journalists had been allowed to see Gershkovich briefly during his pre-trial appearances and on the first day of the trial last month. But this week, the court barred reporters without explanation, although espionage cases are typically shrouded in secrecy.

Russia’s foreign minister Sergey Lavrov blamed American journalists on Wednesday for helping delay talks with his US counterparts about a possible prisoner exchange involving Gershkovich.

Mr Lavrov told a UN news conference that confidential negotiations were still “ongoing”.

Gershkovich is almost certain to be convicted. Russian courts convict more than 99% of defendants who come before them, and prosecutors can appeal sentences that they regard as too lenient, and can also appeal acquittals.

The American-born son of immigrants from the USSR, Gershkovich is the first western journalist arrested on espionage charges in post-Soviet Russia.

The US State Department has declared him “wrongfully detained”, thereby committing the government to assertively seek his release.