Closing arguments expected Friday for WSJ’s Gershkovich

Closing arguments are expected Friday in the espionage trial of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, reports Ivan Nechepurenko of The New York Times.

Nechepurenko reports, “Vladimir A. Zherebenkov, a Russian lawyer who worked on a similar espionage case, said the court’s proceedings were ‘fast.’ An espionage trial usually takes about four months in Russia but can take up to a year, according to lawyers who have worked on such cases. The first hearing in Mr. Gershkovich’s case happened on June 26.

“Mr. Zherebenkov said the court was likely to recess to formulate a ruling after the closing arguments, and that Mr. Gershkovich could make a statement too.

“The hearing on Thursday came a day after the Russian foreign minister, Sergei V. Lavrov, reiterated that Russia and the United States were holding talks on a possible prisoner exchange involving Mr. Gershkovich.

“Speaking on Wednesday at a news conference at the United Nations in New York, Mr. Lavrov also said that Russia had ‘irrefutable evidence’ that Mr. Gershkovich had been engaged in ‘espionage activities.’

“Because Mr. Gershkovich’s case is classified, his lawyers are prohibited by law from speaking publicly about the case, under penalty of imprisonment.”

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