WSJ reporter sentenced to 16 years on "sham" espionage charges in Russia
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Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich stands inside a glass defendants' cage during the verdict announcement at the Sverdlovsk Regional Court on July 19. Photo: Alexander NEMENOV / AFP via Getty Images
A Russian court on Friday convicted Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich of espionage charges and sentenced him to 16 years in prison, multiple outlets reported.
Why it matters: Gershkovich, the newspaper and the U.S. government denounced the charges and the trial as a "sham." The verdict could pave the way for an eventual prisoner swap to free Gershkovich, who the U.S. has deemed "wrongfully detained."
- The Kremlin previously said that a verdict in the case is necessary before an exchange could occur.
What they're 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," Almar Latour, the chief executive of Dow Jones and publisher of The Wall Street Journal, and Wall Street Journal Editor in Chief Emma Tucker said in a statement Friday.
- "We will continue to do everything possible to press for Evan's release and to support his family," they added.
- President Biden said Friday that his administration is "pushing hard for Evan's release."
- "Evan has endured his ordeal with remarkable strength. We will not cease in our efforts to bring him home," Biden said.
Driving the news: Closing arguments in the case took place Friday behind closed doors, TASS reported earlier.
- Prosectors had requested that Gershkovich serve an 18-year sentence in a maximum security penal colony.
The big picture: Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Friday that the closed nature of the trial was necessary due to "very sensitive" nature of the espionage charges, TASS reported.
- At Gershkovich's previous court date in late June, a follow-up hearing had been set for Aug. 13. It was moved up at the request of his lawyers, the AP reports.
- Peskov said he could not comment on the timing of the trial.
Catch up quick: At a press briefing Thursday, deputy State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel denounced the trial as a "fake, sham legal process" that "has no bearing on the urgency that we have placed on seeking a release of Evan's detention and seeking a release for Paul Whelan as well."
Zoom out: Gershkovich, 32, is the first American journalist to stand trial in Russia on spying charges since the Cold War. He has been detained in Russia since March 2023, when he was arrested while on a reporting assignment in Yekaterinburg.
- Russian authorities did not publicly present any evidence to back up their allegations of espionage.
Go deeper: Evan Gershkovich timeline: "Wrongfully detained" and on trial in Russia
Editor's note: This story was updated with news of the verdict, Gershkovich's prison sentence and a statement from Wall Street Journal leadership and President Biden.
