US journalist Gershkovich scheduled to appear in Russian court for the second hearing of spy charges

MOSCOW (AP) — 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 U.S. government vehemently deny. The trial is taking place behind closed doors in Yekaterinburg, a city in the Ural Mountains where the 32-year-old journalist was detained while on a reporting trip. At 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. Gershkovich’s employer and U.S. officials have denounced the trial as sham and illegitimate.