Evan Gershkovich the first American journalist to be arrested on espionage charges in Russia since the Cold War will stand trial in the Russian city of Yekate
Moscow [Russia], June 14 (ANI): Evan Gershkovich, the first American journalist to be arrested on espionage charges in Russia since the Cold War, will stand trial in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg, after being formally accused of spying for the CIA, CNN reported.
The Russian Prosecutor General’s office said Thursday it had approved the indictment, more than a year after Gershkovich was first detained. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison.
Gershkovich, the US government, and his employer, the Wall Street Journal, have vehemently denied the charges against him.
Less than two weeks after his arrest, Gershkovich was designated as “wrongfully detained” by the US State Department, which called for his immediate release.
Russian prosecutors said the country’s federal security service (FSB) had “established and documented” that Gershkovich was acting on CIA instructions in the month he was arrested, alleging he had “collected secret information” about a Russian tank factory.
“Gershkovich carried out the illegal actions using painstaking conspiratorial methods”, it said in a statement.
US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller on Thursday said the allegations against Gershkovich have “absolutely zero credibility.””We have been clear from the start that Evan has done nothing wrong.
