A Russian court has found US journalist Evan Gershkovich guilty of espionage and sentenced him to 16 years in a high-security penal colony. The Wall Street Journal reporter was arrested last March while on a reporting trip in Yekaterinburg, Russia, and accused of working for the CIA, which he and his employer deny.
The trial has been widely criticized as a “sham” by Gershkovich’s family, the White House, and his employer. The Wall Street Journal released a statement saying, “This disgraceful, sham conviction comes after Evan has spent 478 days in prison, wrongfully detained, away from his family and friends, prevented from reporting, all for doing his job as a journalist… Journalism is not a crime, and we will not rest until he’s released. This must end now.”
The US has accused Russia of holding Gershkovich as a bargaining chip for a possible prisoner swap. Russian observers believe a quick conviction could mean an exchange is imminent. In February, Russian President Vladimir Putin hinted at a possible exchange in an interview with US journalist Tucker Carlson.
Gershkovich’s trial began last month, and the last two days’ proceedings were unexpectedly moved forward to Thursday. The judge delivered the verdict late Friday afternoon, sentencing Gershkovich to 16 years in prison. Prosecutors had asked for an 18-year sentence.
The indictment accused Gershkovich of acting “under instructions from the CIA” to collect “secret information” about a factory that produces tanks in the Sverdlovsk region. Gershkovich has consistently denied the accusations, and the Wall Street Journal has called the trial a “shameful sham” and his detention an “outrage”.
