Russian court jails American journalist for 16 years for spying

American journalist Evan Gershkovich has been sentenced by a Russian court to 16 years in prison after being found guilty of spying. Friday’s ruling comes after a trial held behind closed doors due to “national security” issues.

The 32-year-old Wall Street Journal reporter was arrested in March 2023 in Ekaterinburg. The Federal Security Service (FSB) said he had information on a Russian defense enterprise. The Kremlin added at the time that he had been “caught red-handed.”

Gershkovich’s family and work colleagues deny the charges and claim he was instead conducting an ordinary journalistic investigation. His arrest marked the first time an American reporter had been detained on suspicion of espionage since the Cold War.

Gershkovich has been held in detention throughout the investigation and trial. According to the Sverdlovsk Regional Court press service, he again denied any wrongdoing at the hearing on Friday.

“Gershkovich Evan has been found guilty and given a sentence of imprisonment for a term of 16 years, to be served in a maximum security colony,” the presiding judge said while announcing the verdict, as cited by a RIA Novosti correspondent. Prosecutors previously demanded an 18-year term for the journalist, while the maximum penalty he faced was 20 years.

According to Roger Carstens, US special presidential envoy for hostage affairs, Washington had previously attempted to broker a deal with Moscow for the release of Gershkovich, but had thus far failed to succeed in the effort. However, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Wednesday that Russia was considering a potential prisoner swap involving him and was in contact with American intelligence agencies.