Wall Street Journal Denounces Russia’s Secret Trial of Evan Gershkovich

Wall Street Journal (WSJ) editor-in-chief Emma Tucker wrote a fiery editorial on Tuesday denouncing Russia’s secret trial for captive reporter Evan Gershkovich.

Tucker said the trial, which began on Wednesday, was a “travesty of justice” and denounced the espionage charges against Gershkovich as entirely false.

Gershkovich was arrested in Yekaterinburg in March 2023 and has been held in pre-trial detention ever since. Russian officials refused to detail the espionage charges against him, vaguely insisting he was caught “red-handed” spying for American intelligence services.

When Russian prosecutors announced the reporter’s closed-door trial this month, they accused him of “collecting secret information” for the CIA about a tank manufacturer near Yekaterinburg.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has frankly described Gershkovich as a hostage, a bargaining chip who would only be freed if the United States agrees to reward him by releasing high-profile Russian detainees. Prisoner swap deals involving Gershkovich have reportedly been negotiated over the past year, but none ever came to fruition, possibly because the Russians generally do not trade prisoners until after they have been convicted and sentenced.

The WSJ has steadfastly denied all charges against its reporter, as Tucker did again on Tuesday.

“Let us be very clear, once again: Evan is a staff reporter of The Wall Street Journal. He was on assignment in Russia, where he was an accredited journalist,” Tucker wrote.

“But the Kremlin has clamped down severely on independent reporting, effectively turning journalism into a crime. Evan was seized by Russia’s security services, falsely accused of being a U.S. spy and thrown in prison,” she continued.

Tucker noted that Gershkovich would be tried in secret, with no evidence revealed to the outside world, and that the verdict was a foregone conclusion: “This bogus accusation of espionage will inevitably lead to a bogus conviction for an innocent man who would then face up to 20 years in prison for simply doing his job. And an excellent job he was doing, at that.”

Tucker noted that covering the trial in a fair and impartial manner was difficult, given the restrictions imposed by the Russian government and its growing hostility towards journalists, but she promised the WSJ would provide “impartial and accurate reporting” that avoids “baseless allegations” – not least because lobbing such allegations at the Russian regime would give it even more excuses to treat Gershkovich harshly.

Tucker concluded by endorsing diplomatic efforts to secure Gershkovich’s freedom and hoped “Evan and other U.S. detainees in Russia will return home soon.”

The New York Times (NYT) – which has published writings by Putin in the past – on Wednesday quoted friends who said Gershkovich went into his secret trial “positive, strong, and rarely discouraged, despite facing the official wrath of President Vladimir V. Putin’s Russia.” He has maintained lively correspondence with friends around the world, who have sent him healthy food to offset the poor provisions offered by Russia’s infamous Lefortovo prison.

Friends said Gershkovich’s seemingly bizarre decision to return to Russia and continue reporting from there after the invasion of Ukraine began was explained by his love for the country, his dedication to journalism, and the fact that Russia had not imprisoned a foreign journalist since the Cold War. The Putin regime crossed a line when it decided to ignore his press accreditations and arrest him for espionage and the message was received by every reporter in Russia.

Russia has arrested other journalists since kidnapping Gershkovich, including Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) reporter Alsu Kurmasheva, a Russian-American who was seized in October while visiting her sick mother in the Russian city of Kazan. Kurmasheva was charged with “failing to register as a foreign agent” and “spreading false information” about the Russian armed forces.

Gershkovich appeared in court on Wednesday with his head shaved, standing in a glass box, as is typical for Russian defendants. The next session in his trial is scheduled for August 13.

The United States Embassy in Moscow said its officials were present at the courthouse and were granted “brief access” to Gershkovich before the proceedings.

The embassy restated that “Evan has done nothing wrong and never should have been arrested in the first place.”

“Russian authorities have failed to provide any evidence supporting the charges against him, failed to justify his continued detention, and failed to explain why Evan’s work as a journalist constitutes a crime,” the embassy noted.

“Russia should stop using individuals like Evan Gershkovich or Paul Whelan as bargaining chips.  They should both be released immediately,” the embassy demanded. Paul Whelan is a former U.S. Marine who was arrested by Russia in 2018 and sentenced to 16 years in prison for “espionage.”