we have been clear from the start that journalism is not a crime and that Evans should never have been detained in the first place what happened today was a performance put on by Russian authorities to justify the repression of journalists and independent voices that’s the US state department speaking about jailed American journalist Evan gershkovich he has been detained by Russia for over a year and went on a closed door trial earlier today gershkovich faces Espionage charges and up to 20 years in Pres journalists were only allowed in the courtroom for a few minutes before the proceedings were closed the US says they will continue to work privately to secure his release along with another jailed American Paul whan Anton tronsky joins us now from New York he is the Moscow bureau chief for the New York Times and also a friend of Evan gershkovich thanks so much for taking the time thanks for having me a as you know Evans trial began today uh 15 months after he was first detained in Russia on Espionage charges I wonder how you’re feeling tonight as a friend and also as a journalist and former colleague well look it’s just yet another awful day in this awful ordeal um you know this has been going on for 15 months as you said uh Evan is uh clearly completely innocent he was simply doing his job as a journalist in Russia doing an incredible L important job he was doing so with the full accreditation of the Russian foreign Ministry um and uh uh the fact that he has spent these 15 months months in jail um is is an absolute travesty obviously this trial is so important for for Evan himself and and his family and friends like you uh zooming out how important do you think this trial is to press freedom in Russia and also worldwide well look let’s just stop for a second I mean it’s it’s a it has the trappings of a trial but it’s not an actual trial in terms of due process right uh uh this uh um the Judiciary uh in Russia is completely controlled by uh the security agencies and by the Kremlin and um you know we fully can fully expect uh that there will be a guilty verdict at the end of this thing um you know Evan is a hostage of the Russian government uh Vladimir Putin has been open about talking in terms of talking about Evan as a bargaining chip essentially in his um geopolitical conflict with the West so uh this trial it’s it’s just another kind of chapter in this awful ordeal but we have to remember we are not talking about a due process uh system here where we can have any hope that Evan would would be able uh to defend himself actually in court so so then Anton how do you hold on to hope uh or can you have some optimism well look Evan faces 20 years in prison um this is an unprecedented situation never before uh in modern Russian history has a western journalist there been imprison imprisoned on um charges like this uh it’s clearly a demonstration of how far uh tensions have escalated between the US and Russia that Russia feels um sort of able to take a step like this um you know we hold on to hope uh because I mean he needs to be released he is completely innocent was only doing his job um and we also know and and the US government President Biden has said that they are working uh on on getting him out and and you know we have to have faith uh that uh uh uh the American government obviously with uh the support of the Wall Street Journal um uh and and you know also with the support of of of of sort of the media Community around the world will uh uh will get Evan out uh somehow do do you think that the White House do you think President Biden could be doing more to put pressure on the kemline well I mean they have been clearly doing a lot of work uh and and Putin has said himself that uh the US and Russia are in contact in negotiations about this um unfortunately we have seen things like this before with non-journalists um Americans who have been taken prisoner in people like Britney Griner the the Basketball Star um uh and in in those cases uh the Russians drive a bargain and insist on some kind of prisoner exchange um and that appears to be what’s happening now again Putin has talked about this openly um so uh yeah I mean that’s that’s kind of what’s going on clearly behind the scenes here um it seems I think from the outside looking in that the US government is really trying here they they they are putting um a lot of energy into getting EV out but but I think we always knew from the very beginning that it was going to be a very long and hard process here in Canada we’ve heard of course of of of of Evan’s story as a journalist but I wonder if you could tell me a little bit about him as a friend yeah I mean I got to know him um in 2018 in Russia we both arrived uh at around the same time as uh American journalists one of the things we had in common actually is is growing up in in uh Soviet immigrant families in the US uh you know he he grew up up in in in the New York area in New Jersey uh grew up speaking Russian at home with his parents who had been immigrants from the Soviet Union I had a very similar story growing up in America and so that was one of the things that we bonded over and it was just amazing to see you know him there in Russia during those four years um remember it was the pandemic among other things and we like foreign journalists ended up essentially stuck in Russia for a long period of time and he just really embraced being there and learning the culture learning the people he had a ton of Russian friends he did things like going on bicycle tours uh in rural Russia far away from Moscow he did a ton of traveling he was just really really um enthusiastic about getting to know the country and which is frankly just one more reason to why it’s such a travesty that he’s now been locked up in this same country as you well know that you know this this trial trial quote unquote as you say you know is going to be behind closed doors uh most of these details will not be public uh we we saw a very quick snipet a video today of of Evan smiling although you know that that is likely edited I understand that you’ve been communicating uh with him as well as others through letters can you share anything about how he’s doing right now about the conversations you’ve had with him about you know his his mental state look I I obviously saw those videos too and I think him smiling in there is genuine like he has had this amazing strength of character throughout this uh of really keeping up hope keeping up his strength uh keeping his sense of humor and that’s what comes through in these letters uh so yeah I mean it is possible to exchange uh letters um with him and uh what what I see in there is that you know he remains incredibly interested in what’s happening in the outside world world in the media World here in New York in his friend group U many of whom are now located in Berlin uh like like I am um uh that’s where I’m based now so uh yeah I mean he’s he’s really stayed strong and I think the fact is that he understands that he’s in a really difficult situation and that this could still take a long time but he’s he really has that that hope uh uh I think to get through this Anton appreciate the time tonight that is Anton trovi a friend of Evan gershkovich and the Moscow bureau chief for the New York Times joining us today from New York
Photos of Wall Street Journal reporter accused of espionage by Russia, Evan Gershkovich, have alarmed friends and family after being held for 15 months. Anton Troianovski, New York Times Moscow bureau chief and friend of Gershkovich, says the imprisoned reporter is a negotiating chip for Russian President Vladimir Putin to use in the geopolitical conflict with the West and ‘we can fully expect a guilty verdict.’
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