In a closed-door trial, a Russian court has sentenced American journalist Evan Gershkovich to 16 years for espionage. Gershkovich, a 32-year-old correspondent for The Wall Street Journal, pleaded not guilty.
Prosecutors accused Gershkovich of acting “under instructions from the CIA” to collect “secret information” about a factory producing tanks in the Sverdlovsk region.
His employer and the United States have denounced the charges as fabricated. He was arrested on March 29, 2023, during a reporting trip to the Ural Mountains city of Yekaterinburg.
This marks the first conviction of a US journalist for espionage in Russia since the Cold War ended more than 30 years ago.
The trial has been criticized as a “sham,” and Washington believes Russia is holding him as a potential bargaining chip for a prisoner swap.
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