A Russian court convicted Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich on charges of espionage Friday, sentencing him to 16 years in a Russian prison colony in a trial the U.S. denounced as a sham.
correspondent Evan Gershkovich on charges of espionage Friday — sentencing the American to 16 years in a Russian prison colony in a closed-door trial denounced as a sham by the journalist’s newspaper and the U.S. government. Prosecutors had requested an 18-year sentence.
They note that Gershkovich was operating in Russia with official accreditation from Russia’s Foreign Ministry at the time of his arrest.publisher Almar Latour and editor in chief Emma Tucker said: “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.
Yet the unusual speed of proceedings — espionage trials often take months if not years – was all but certain to fuel speculation that Moscow and Washington may be closing in on a prisoner swap deal. This week, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told journalists that back-channel talks between Washington and Moscow were “ongoing.”
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