A Russian court has found US journalist Evan Gershkovich guilty of espionage in a closed-door trial and sentenced him to 16 years in prison.
Earlier, the prosecution asked for an 18-year jail term for the Wall Street Journal correspondent.
The 32-year-old correspondent for The Wall Street Journal pleaded not guilty and his employer and the United States have denounced the charges as fabricated.
The court said in a statement that Gershkovich did not admit guilt, but “the totality of the evidence presented to the court was sufficient to render a guilty verdict.”
According to video of the hearing released by the court, Judge Andrei Mineyev announced the verdict as the reporter stood in a glass cage.
Mineyev stated that the time that Gershkovich had already served since his arrest nearly 16 months ago would count towards the sentence. The judge also ordered the destruction of the reporter’s mobile phone and paper notebook.
According to the court, he will serve his sentence in a high-security penal colony reserved for repeat offenders and felons who committed grave crimes
Asked by the judge if he had any questions, Gershkovich replied “No” in Russian.
Speaking to reporters after the verdict, prosecutor Mikael Ozdoyev said that Gershkovich was accused of gathering secret information about the production and repair of military equipment at Uralvagonzavod, a huge industrial plant about 90 miles north of Yekaterinburg.
He said Mr Gershkovich was acting on instructions from the CIA and tried to conceal his action – an accusation US officials have dismissed as bogus.
The authorities have provided no public evidence for the allegations against him, with the Kremlin saying only that he was caught “red-handed” spying on a tank factory in the Urals and was working for the CIA.
The trial has been concluded with unusual haste, raising hopes of a prisoner swap involving the journalist.
Closed-trials are standard in Russia for cases of treason or espionage involving classified material. Gershkovich’s trial has moved rapidly since the first hearing in late June.
The defence has 15 days to appeal.
He is the first Western journalist to be arrested on espionage charges in post-Soviet Russia.
The journalist was arrested on March 29, 2023, while on a reporting trip to the Ural Mountains city of Yekaterinburg.
“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,” Almar Latour, the chief executive of Dow Jones and publisher of The Wall Street Journal, and the newspaper’s editor-in-chief Emma Tucker said in a statement.
“We will continue to do everything possible to press for Evan’s release and to support his family,” said the statement from his employer. “Journalism is not a crime, and we will not rest until he’s released. This must end now.”
Gershkovich’s Sentence Criticized By UK
UK Prime Minister, Keir Starmer condemned the sentencing of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich.
In a statement, Starmer asserted that the “sentencing of (Wall Street Journal) reporter Evan Gershkovich is despicable and only serves to underscore Russia’s utter contempt for media freedom.”
“Journalism should not be a crime. Gershkovich must be released immediately,” he added.
UK Foreign Secretary, David Lammy stated, “Sentencing Evan Gershkovich to 16 years in a strict penal colony shows the Russian state’s contempt for media freedom.”
“He is a journalist, works for a respected news outlet, and was accredited by the Russian state to work in Russia,” Lammy noted.
“He should be released immediately,” he added.
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