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 verdict follows a secretive trial criticized as a “sham” by Gershkovich’s employer, family, and the White House.
Gershkovich, a reporter for The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), was detained in March while covering a story in Yekaterinburg, about 1,600 km (1,000 miles) east of Moscow. Russian authorities accused him of being a Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) operative, claims that Gershkovich, the WSJ, and the US government strongly deny.
This conviction represents the first time a US journalist has been sentenced for espionage in Russia since the end of the Cold War over 30 years ago.
Both the defense and prosecution have 15 days to appeal the verdict, according to the judge.
“This disgraceful and unjust conviction comes after Evan has spent 478 days wrongfully detained, separated from his family and friends, and barred from doing his job,” said Almar Latour, Wall Street Journal publisher, and Emma Tucker, Editor in Chief, in a statement.
“We will continue to fight for Evan’s release and support his family. Journalism is not a crime, and we will not rest until he is freed. This injustice must end immediately.”