Closing arguments in espionage trial of Wall Street Journal reporter will be Friday, court says

abcnews.go.com:

Court officials say closing arguments in the espionage trial of U.S. journalist Evan Gershkovich will be held Friday, as the proceedings picked up speed in a case that has seen the reporter held in pre-trial custody for over a year

YEKATERINBURG, Russia — Closing arguments in the espionage trial of U.S. journalist Evan Gershkovich will be held Friday, a Russian court said, as the proceedings picked up speed in a case that has seen the reporter held in pre-trial custody for over a year.

Gershkovich attended a trial session for a second day behind closed doors on Thursday, the court said. He faces charges that he, his employer and the U.S. government vehemently deny.

Unlike previous sessions in which reporters were allowed to see Gershkovich briefly before the proceedings began, there was no access to the courtroom and he was not seen, with no explanation given. Espionage cases are typically shrouded in secrecy.

Gershkovich, 32, was arrested on March 29, 2023, while he was on a reporting trip. Authorities claimed, without offering any evidence, that he was gathering secret information for the U.S. The American-born son of immigrants from the USSR, Gershkovich is the first Western journalist arrested on espionage charges in post-Soviet Russia.

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

Gershkovich faces up to 20 years in prison if found guilty, which is almost a certainty. Russian courts convict more than 99% of defendants, and prosecutors can appeal sentences that they regard as too lenient. They even can appeal acquittals.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Wednesday at the United Nations that Moscow and Washington’s