The secret trial of American reporter Evan Gershkovich ended on Friday in Russia with a court finding him guilty of espionage. The judge sentenced him to 16 years in prison.
Authorities there arrested the Wall Street Journal reporter in March 2023, accusing him of espionage. Those are charges that he, the newspaper and the U.S. government deny.
The U.S. State Department considers Gershkovich to be “wrongfully detained.”
Wall Street Journal Publisher Almar Latour and Editor-in-Chief Emma Tucker issued a statement after Gershkovich’s sentencing: “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. We will continue to do everything possible to press for Evan’s release and to support his family. Journalism is not a crime, and we will not rest until he’s released. This must end now.”
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On Thursday, State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel said it was still negotiating for his and fellow American Paul Whelan’s release.
“Evan did nothing wrong and should not have been detained,” Patel said. “To date, Russia has provided no evidence of a crime and has failed to justify Evan’s continued detention. Evan should not be detained, Paul Whelan should not be detained, and both of them should be immediately released.”
At the United Nations this week, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov all but said that Gershkovich would likely be convicted, saying that authorities had “irrefutable evidence” of his espionage.
Russia has held Gershkovich in isolation for 23 hours a day at the notorious Lefortovo Prison in Moscow, which was previously used for political prisoners during the Soviet era.
The Wall Street Journal has feared that he could end up in an even harsher prison.
Upon their convictions in Russia, two Americans — basketball player Brittney Griner and Whelan, a former U.S. Marine — ended up in penal colonies several hundred miles from Moscow.
A prisoner exchange with the U.S. led to Griner’s release. Whelan is in his fourth year of a 16-year sentence of manual labor.
Gershkovich’s advocates maintain hope that the U.S. will find a way to bring him home.
