Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich is scheduled to appear in court in Russia on Thursday for the second hearing in his trial on espionage charges that he, his employer and the US government vehemently deny, court records showed. ADVERTISEMENTAt 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 reported on Tuesday, citing court officials. Authorities arrested Gershkovich on March 29, 2023, and claimed without offering any evidence that he was gathering secret information for the US. The American-born son of immigrants from the USSR, Gershkovich is the first Western journalist arrested on espionage charges in post-Soviet Russia.

Source: The Telegraph July 16, 2024 22:23 UTC