Saturday, July 20, 2024 - US reporter, Evan Gershkovich has been jailed for 16 years by a Russian court after being found guilty of espionage charges.
The court in Yekaterinburg announced the guilty verdict and
sentencing on Friday afternoon, July 19.
Gershkovich, a 32-year-old American was first arrested last
March while on a reporting trip in the city of Yekaterinburg, about 1,600km
(1,000 miles) east of Moscow, by security services. He was accused of spying
for the CIA but Russian authorities never offered any public evidence
publicly to support their claims.
Prosecutors accused him of working for the Central
Intelligence Agency (CIA), accusations that Gershkovich, the WSJ and the US
vociferously deny.
It marks the first conviction of a US journalist for
espionage in Russia since the Cold War ended more than 30 years ago.
Prosecutors accused him of working for the Central
Intelligence Agency (CIA), accusations that Gershkovich, the WSJ and the US vociferously
deny.
It marks the first conviction of a US journalist for
espionage in Russia since the Cold War ended more than 30 years ago.
In a statement following Friday’s sentencing, Gershkovich’s
employer 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,” the statement from Dow Jones CEO and
Wall Street Journal Publisher Almar Latour and Wall Street Journal Editor in
Chief Emma Tucker continued.
“Journalism is not a crime, and we will not rest until he’s
released. This must end now,” it added.
US and Western officials have accused Russia of using
Gershkovich and other jailed foreigners as bargaining chips for possible
prisoner exchanges.
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