US journalist Evan Gershkovich in court as spy trial starts in Russia | BBC News
Summary
TLDRAmerican journalist Evan Gershkovich is on trial in Russia, accused of spying for the CIA by collecting secret information from a Russian tank factory. The trial is taking place behind closed doors in Yekaterinburg, where he was arrested last year. The Wall Street Journal and the U.S. government vehemently deny the accusations, asserting Gershkovich's status as an accredited foreign correspondent. There is speculation about a potential prisoner exchange, as President Putin has shown openness to such deals, with precedent set by the 2022 release of a Russian arms dealer for American basketball star Brittney Griner.
Takeaways
- 🔒 Evan Gershkovich, an American journalist, is on trial in Russia for alleged spying activities.
- 📹 The media was briefly allowed into the courtroom to see Gershkovich before the trial began behind closed doors.
- 👮 Gershkovich is accused of collecting secret information from a Russian tank factory on behalf of the CIA, a charge he denies.
- 🏛 The trial is taking place in Yekaterinburg, the city where he was arrested in March.
- 🤝 There have been contacts between the U.S. and Russia regarding a possible prisoner exchange, but their status is unknown.
- 🤔 President Putin has indicated openness to a prisoner swap, similar to the 2022 deal for the release of American basketball star Brittney Griner.
- 📰 The Wall Street Journal, Gershkovich's employer, and the U.S. government strongly deny the spying allegations.
- 🗣️ The Wall Street Journal's Chief Digital Editor International, Gerry McCarthy, calls the trial a 'sham' based on false accusations.
- 🕰️ Gershkovich has been detained for 15 months, which McCarthy emphasizes as a significant personal loss due to his unjust imprisonment.
- 📚 Gershkovich is well-versed in Russian culture and aware of the potential risks of his work, having covered similar cases such as the Griner case.
- 🌐 The Wall Street Journal continues to campaign for Gershkovich's release, hoping for U.S. government intervention to secure his freedom.
Q & A
Who is Evan Gershkovich and what is he accused of?
-Evan Gershkovich is an American journalist who has been accused of spying by the Russian authorities. He is alleged to have collected secret information from a Russian tank factory on behalf of the CIA.
What is the significance of the location where Evan Gershkovich was arrested?
-Evan Gershkovich was arrested in Yekaterinburg, a city in the Ural region of Russia, which is known for its industrial and military significance.
What is the 'aquarium' mentioned in the script?
-The 'aquarium' is a term used to describe the metal and glass cage in Russian courtrooms where the accused stands during the trial.
Why is the trial being held behind closed doors?
-The trial is being held behind closed doors to protect sensitive information, which means that family members, diplomats, and media are not allowed to attend the proceedings.
What is the stance of The Wall Street Journal on these accusations against Evan Gershkovich?
-The Wall Street Journal and the U.S. government vehemently deny the accusations, asserting that Gershkovich was an accredited foreign correspondent and not a spy.
What is the potential for a prisoner exchange involving Evan Gershkovich?
-There have been contacts between the United States and Russia regarding a possible prisoner exchange, although the status of these contacts is not known. President Putin has indicated a willingness to consider a swap.
What precedent is there for a prisoner exchange between the U.S. and Russia?
-In 2022, the U.S. agreed to release a convicted Russian arms dealer, Viktor Bout, in exchange for the release of Brittney Griner, an American basketball star who was jailed in Russia on drug charges.
How long has Evan Gershkovich been detained by Russian authorities?
-As of the time of the script, Evan Gershkovich has been detained for 15 months.
What is the background of Evan Gershkovich in relation to Russia?
-Evan Gershkovich is very familiar with Russia, having grown up in a family of Soviet immigrants to the United States, and he is fluent in Russian. He has lived and worked in Russia and joined the Wall Street Journal in 2022.
What is the view of The Wall Street Journal's Chief Digital Editor International on the trial of Evan Gershkovich?
-The Chief Digital Editor International, Grenny McCarthy, considers the trial to be a sham based on false accusations, asserting that Gershkovich is a journalist who was doing his job.
What is the primary goal of The Wall Street Journal in relation to Evan Gershkovich's situation?
-The primary goal of The Wall Street Journal is to secure Evan Gershkovich's release and bring him home as soon as possible.
Outlines
🕵️♂️ American Journalist's Spy Trial in Russia
Evan Gershkovich, an American journalist for The Wall Street Journal, has gone on trial in Russia accused of spying for the CIA. The trial is taking place in Yekaterinburg, where he was arrested in March. Gershkovich is alleged to have collected secret information from a Russian tank factory. Despite the serious charges, he has denied all accusations. The trial is being held behind closed doors, meaning no family, diplomats, or media can attend. There have been discussions between the US and Russia regarding a possible prisoner exchange, similar to a previous deal involving a Russian arms dealer and American basketball star, which could potentially lead to Gershkovich's release. The Wall Street Journal and the US government strongly deny the accusations against Gershkovich, who is a well-accredited foreign correspondent with a deep understanding of Russia.
📰 The Wall Street Journal's Stance on Gershkovich's Trial
The Wall Street Journal's Chief Digital Editor International, Gerry McCarthy, has spoken out about the trial of Evan Gershkovich, calling it a 'sham trial' based on false accusations. Gershkovich, who has been detained for 15 months, is recognized as a skilled journalist with a deep knowledge of Russian culture. Despite the risks, he was aware of the potential dangers due to his extensive experience covering similar cases, including the Britney Griner situation. McCarthy emphasizes the importance of securing Gershkovich's release as soon as possible, expressing optimism that the US government, under President Biden, will increase pressure for his return. The Wall Street Journal is actively campaigning for Gershkovich's freedom, highlighting the urgency and significance of this case.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Evan Gershkovich
💡Spying
💡Russian Court
💡Media
💡Aquarium
💡The Wall Street Journal
💡Accreditation
💡Prisoner Exchange
💡Britney Griner
💡Vladimir Putin
💡Sham Trial
Highlights
American journalist Evan Gershkovich is on trial in Russia, accused of spying for the CIA.
Media were allowed a brief glimpse of Gershkovich in the courtroom before closed-door hearings began.
Gershkovich was arrested in Yekaterinburg and is accused of collecting secret information from a Russian tank factory.
He denies all charges and is represented by The Wall Street Journal, which vehemently denies the spying allegations.
Trial proceedings are held behind closed doors, excluding family, diplomats, and media.
Contacts have been made between the United States and Russia regarding a possible prisoner exchange.
President Putin has indicated openness to a prisoner swap, similar to a previous deal involving arms dealer Viktor Bout and basketball star Brittney Griner.
The Wall Street Journal's Chief Digital Editor International, Gerry McCarthy, calls the trial a sham based on false accusations.
Gershkovich has been detained for 15 months, accused of making journalism a crime in Putin's Russia.
Gershkovich is a well-versed journalist in Russian culture, having grown up in a family of Soviet immigrants.
He was living in London and working in Russia at the time of his arrest, showing his deep connection to the country.
The Wall Street Journal and the U.S. government are optimistic about Gershkovich's release and are increasing pressure for it.
President Biden's administration is urged to secure Gershkovich's release, with hopes for a quick resolution.
The primary goal for The Wall Street Journal is for Gershkovich to return home as soon as possible.
The situation highlights the challenges and risks faced by foreign correspondents reporting in Russia.
The case raises questions about the freedom of the press and the potential for political motivations behind Gershkovich's arrest.
The trial's outcome may set a precedent for future relations between Russia and the U.S., particularly regarding prisoner exchanges.
Transcripts
hello you're watching BBC News I'm
Martin croell the American journalist
Evan gorovich has gone on trial at a
Russian Court accused of spying ahead of
the start of proceedings the media were
allowed into the courtroom to see him
briefly the hearings are taking place in
y cinberg the city in the urals where he
was arrested last March Moscow has
accused The Wall Street Journal reporter
of collecting secret information from a
Russian tank Factory on behalf of the
CIA he denied all of the charges well
earlier our Russia editor Steve
Rosenberg gave us this
update so the trial has begun and just
before the start of proceedings uh media
were allowed into a courtroom to see
Evan gershkovich we were part of that
group um he was standing in the metal
and glass cage that's known as the
aquarium in Russian uh courtrooms uh
head shaven um wearing a check shirts
and jeans he he was smiling uh to
cameras
but clearly this is going to be a
difficult time for him the trial will be
held behind closed doors so we won't get
in again to see him until the end of it
and behind closed doors means that
family members won't be able to attend
us diplomats won't be able to go in uh
the media won't be able to go in uh as
you mentioned uh prosecutors accuse him
of being a spy spying for the CIA now Mr
gershkovich his employer The Wall Street
Journal the US government vehemently
deny that that he was an accredited
foreign correspondent um in Moscow he
was on a reporting assignment uh in y
cinberg last year when he was uh
arrested it's clear that uh there have
been contacts between the United States
and Russia over a possible prisoner
exchange we don't know the status of
those uh contacts uh what stage they are
President Putin has indicated he would
be open to some kind of prisoner swap
and he knows the Russians know very well
that the Americans are up for doing
deals uh when it comes to getting their
citizens home we saw it back in 2022
when uh America agreed to release a
convicted Russian arms dealer Victor
boot in order to release Britney grinder
the basketball American basketball star
who was in a Russian jail on drugs
charges so yeah there is an expectation
perhaps that you know this could lead to
that when that would happen we have no
idea the kman said recently that
contacts uh have been made but has
called for silence for these kind of
discussions to take place between
intelligence agencies in silence Steve
Rosenberg let's speak to grony McCarthy
The Wall Street Journal Chief digital
editor International who's been
spearheading the papers campaign for
evans's release gr thank you very much
for joining us how do you regard these
proceedings which are taking place
without any support Court available for
Evan yes um good morning I think we
should say clearly and unequivocally
that this is a sham trial this is based
on um a false accusation against Evan
who is a journalist uh he was fully
accredited by Russia's foreign Ministry
to report in Russia he is a very good
journalist he's steeped in the Russian
culture and um in Vladimir Putin's
Russia um Jour he's appears to be making
journalism a crime Evan um on Saturday
will have been locked up by Russian
authorities for 15 months that's 15
months of his life that has been taken
from him simply for doing his
job he knows Russia extremely well so
how aware will he have been of the
potential risks for something like this
occurring I think very aware he's as I
say he's a very good journalist and um
he has covered this I mean as as Steve's
reporting alluded to just now he covered
the Britney Griner case um he has been
living and working in Russia although
when he was actually arrested he was
living in London and going in and out of
Russia on assignment but he grew up in a
family of Soviet immigrates to the
United States who's born and raised in
New Jersey um grew up speaking Russian
and he um has always been fascinated by
Russian culture and that's why he ended
up moving to Russia uh working for
various different news organizations
before ultimately joining the Wall
Street Journal in 2022 so the irony of
this all is that Evan will have a very
very good idea of the Playbook that
Vladimir Putin is using here what do you
think the options are for getting his
release I mean we remain optimistic that
Evan will get out as soon as possible we
hoped that we wouldn't come to this um
point of Evan having to be subjected to
this sham trial um he has already been
subjected to so much during these 15
months of captivity um but our only hope
is that this will further increase the
pressure on the US government the Biden
Administration um to secure Evans
release we know that um President Putin
has alluded to uh being willing uh and
open to doing a deal for Evan and to
conversations that that the Russians say
are happening in secret so my only hope
is that this you know these can reach
fruition quickly our only priority our
only goal this is something that's
binary he's either free or he's not or
he's not our only goal is for Evan to
come home as soon as possible granny
McCarthy from The Wall Street Journal
thank you very much for talking to us
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