The Russian decide who convicted the Wall Road Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich has mentioned the trial was quick as a result of it didn’t look at any “materials proof” and the decision didn’t take lengthy as a result of he may “sort rapidly”.
“The case itself was small. I don’t bear in mind what number of folders there have been – three or 5,” mentioned Andrei Mineyev, based on the RIA Novosti information company.
“Why did it go so rapidly? The purpose is the courtroom didn’t look at materials proof,” Mineyev mentioned, including that this was as a result of neither the prosecution nor the defence had requested it.
Mineyev made the feedback at a convention within the metropolis of Ekaterinburg, the place he spoke about totally different circumstances he had labored on, based on Russian media.
Gershkovich was arrested in March 2023 whereas on a reporting journey to Ekaterinburg. He turned the primary international journalist held for espionage in post-Soviet Russia.
Gershkovich, his employer and the US have at all times denied the accusation.
His trial in Ekaterinburg, which was extensively described as a sham, started in June 2024.
Prosecutors accused Gershkovich, 32, whose dad and mom emigrated from the Soviet Union, of gathering secret details about the actions of an enormous tank manufacturing unit within the area.
The trial was held behind closed doorways, which is frequent in espionage circumstances, and concluded with uncommon haste.
On 19 July he was sentenced to 16 years in jail. Two weeks later he was launched within the largest prisoner swap between Russia and the west for the reason that chilly warfare.
The decide mentioned he was “100-200%” positive that Gershkovich was “on the similar time a journalist, a spy and a CIA agent”, the Russian newspaper Kommersant reported.
The decide mentioned he retired to contemplate the decision at noon and pronounced it at 5pm, saying the fast turnaround was as a result of he may “sort rapidly”, the paper mentioned.
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