Ebel writes, “U.S. Embassy officials said that they were given brief access to Gershkovich ahead of the proceedings and were present at the court.
“‘Russian authorities have failed to provide any evidence supporting the charges against him, failed to justify his continued detention, and failed to explain why Evan’s work as a journalist constitutes a crime,’ the embassy statement said after the hearing.
“His case is not about evidence, procedural norms, or the rule of law. It is about the Kremlin using American citizens to achieve its political objectives. Russia should stop using individuals like Evan Gershkovich or Paul Whelan as bargaining chips.’
“On Wednesday, Kremlin spokesman Peskov declined to comment on the trial and echoed Putin’s comments on potential prisoner swap negotiations.
“‘No, we can’t talk about any signals at the moment, we can only repeat that this topic likes silence,’ he told reporters at a daily briefing. ‘We know that this topic is very high-profile in the United States, but it is not so high-profile inside our country. The investigation is underway, the trial is underway, and we must wait for the verdict to be delivered.'”
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