Russia imprisons US journalist Gershkovich for 16 years
On Friday, a Russian court sentenced US reporter Evan Gershkovich to 16 years in prison for “espionage,” a ruling that Western countries and his employer condemned as “despicable,” “disgraceful,” and a “sham.”
Gershkovich was condemned after only three court sessions in a secret closed-door hearing in the Urals city of Yekaterinburg, where he was captured while on a reporting trip in March 2023.
Following the sentencing, US President Joe Biden stated that Gershkovich was “targeted by the Russian government because he is a journalist and an American.”
“We are pushing hard for Evan’s release and will continue to do so,” he said in a written statement released by the White House.Both Washington and Moscow claim discussions over a prisoner swap are ongoing.
Russia has previously stated that it does not exchange people until they have been convicted, thus Friday’s sentencing may open the way for the 32-year-old journalist to eventually be swapped in a bargain.
US presidential candidate Donald Trump said on his Truth Social page: “Biden will never get him out unless he pays a ‘king’s ransom.'” I will get him out for free soon after our triumph on November 5th, and it will be an honor to do so.”
Gershkovich did not appear to react to the sentence in court on Friday, standing in a glass defendants’ cage dressed in dark jeans and a T-shirt. As he was brought away, he waved at his fellow journalists.
Judge Andrei Mineyev stated that Gershkovich would be transferred to a “strict regime colony,” a Russian prison camp known for harsh circumstances and rigorous restrictions.
“Disgraceful, sham conviction.” –
When the Wall Street Journal correspondent was arrested in 2023, he became the first journalist in Russia to be charged with spying since the Cold War. He pled not guilty.
He has been detained for over 16 months on claims that the US government and his business have repeatedly denied.
“This disgraceful, sham conviction comes after Evan has spent 478 days in prison, wrongfully detained, away from his family and friends, and prevented from reporting, all for doing his job as a journalist,” the Journal’s publisher Almar Latour and editor-in-chief Emma Tucker said in a statement.
Washington believes he is being held as a bargaining chip to secure the release of Russians convicted abroad.
His trial has moved rapidly since the first hearing in late June, with the prosecution and defence teams giving their final arguments on Friday.
Other similar cases in Russia have dragged on far more slowly, with several weeks or even months between hearings.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the sentencing “despicable,” adding that it “only serves to underscore Russia’s utter contempt for media freedom.”
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said the case was “politically motivated” and demonstrated Russian President Vladimir “Putin’s fear of the power of facts.”
UN spokesman Farhan Haq shared “serious concerns,” telling reporters: “Journalists should be able to perform their essential professional functions and work in a safe environment without fear of reprisals.”
Russian opposition member Yulia Navalnaya condemned Gershkovich’s “unjust” verdict, writing on social media: “We must fight for every person serving an unjust sentence in Putin’s prison and demand their immediate release.”
– Talks are ongoing.
The Kremlin has not produced any public evidence for the espionage charges, claiming merely that Gershkovich was caught “red-handed” spying on a tank plant in the Urals region while working for the CIA.
According to the prosecution, Gershkovich took “careful measures of secrecy” on Friday.
Tensions between the countries are exceedingly high due to Moscow’s military offensive in Ukraine.
Moscow and Washington have both stated that they are open to exchanging the reporter in a deal, but neither has offered any indication of when this may occur.
When questioned Friday, the Kremlin declined to speculate on the possibility of a prisoner swap.
Moscow’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Wednesday that conversations between US and Russian secret services about possible prisoner exchanges were ongoing, but did not name any specific individuals.
Putin has hinted that he wants Vadim Krasikov, a Russian who was convicted in Germany of killing a Chechen separatist commander, released. German judges concluded that the assassination was carried out by Russian officials.
– ‘Arbitrary’ detention.
Other US people detained in Russia include reporter Alsu Kurmasheva and ballerina Ksenia Karelina, both dual US-Russian citizens, as well as former US marine Paul Whelan, who is serving a 16-year term for spying.
The White House has warned US citizens still in Russia to “depart immediately” owing to the possibility of being wrongfully arrested.
Gershkovich, the US-born son of Soviet emigrants raised in New Jersey, had been reporting from Russia since 2017, and he continued to do so following Russia’s incursion in Ukraine.
In Moscow’s remote Lefortovo prison, where he was detained for more than a year in pre-trial custody, he wrote handwritten letters to friends and family, demonstrating that he had not given up hope.
AFP
