On Friday, a Russian court found U.S. reporter Evan Gershkovich guilty of espionage and sentenced him to 16 years in a maximum-security penal colony. The Wall Street Journal, his employer, condemned the verdict as a “disgraceful sham conviction.” Gershkovich, a 32-year-old American who denied any wrongdoing, went on trial last month in Yekaterinburg, accused of trying to gather sensitive information about a tank factory.
U.S. President Joe Biden asserted Gershkovich’s innocence, declaring he had been wrongfully detained. “We are pushing hard for Evan’s release and will continue to do so,” Biden said. “Journalism is not a crime.”
During Friday’s hearing, video footage showed Gershkovich standing in a glass courtroom cage, dressed in a T-shirt and black trousers, as he listened to the verdict read in rapid-fire legalese. When the judge asked if he had any questions, he replied, “Nyet.”
Judge Andrei Mineyev announced that the nearly 16 months Gershkovich had already served since his arrest would count towards the 16-year sentence. Mineyev also ordered the destruction of Gershkovich’s mobile phone and paper notebook. The defense has 15 days to appeal.
“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,” the Journal said in a statement. “We will continue to do everything possible to press for Evan’s release and to support his family. Journalism is not a crime, and we will not rest until he’s released. This must end now.”
Gershkovich’s friend, reporter Pjotr Sauer of Britain’s Guardian newspaper, expressed his outrage on X: “Russia has just sentenced an innocent man to 16 years in a high-security prison. I have no words to describe this farce. Let’s get Evan out of there.”
The trial included only three hearings, and apart from the sentencing, the proceedings were closed to the media due to state secrecy. The swift handling of the case has fueled speculation about a possible U.S.-Russia prisoner exchange involving Gershkovich and potentially other Americans detained in Russia. The Kremlin, when asked about such an exchange, declined to comment.
Russian authorities arrested Gershkovich on March 29, 2023, at a steakhouse in Yekaterinburg, 900 miles east of Moscow. They have held him in Moscow’s Lefortovo prison since then. Prosecutors accused him of gathering secret information about a tank factory for the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency. The factory, Uralvagonzavod, has been sanctioned by the West for its role in producing and modernizing tanks for Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Earlier on Friday, the court announced its verdict within hours after state prosecutors demanded an 18-year sentence for Gershkovich. Russia typically concludes legal proceedings against foreigners before negotiating any prisoner exchanges.
Gershkovich, his newspaper, and the U.S. government rejected the allegations, insisting he was merely performing his duties as an accredited journalist. President Vladimir Putin indicated Russia’s openness to a prisoner exchange involving Gershkovich, stating that contacts with the United States had taken place but must remain secret.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken affirmed Washington’s daily efforts to bring home Gershkovich, former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, and other Americans. “Any effort to bring any American home is going to be part of a process of back and forth, of discussion, potentially of negotiation,” Blinken said at the Aspen Security Forum in Colorado. He emphasized that the success of these efforts doesn’t depend on the U.S. election cycle.
U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Mark Warner called Gershkovich’s sentence “outrageous,” and suggested that Russia views Gershkovich as a bargaining chip. Warner declined to discuss ongoing efforts for Gershkovich’s release but insisted that “all options have to stay on the table.”
Friends who have exchanged letters with Gershkovich noted his resilience and cheerfulness throughout his imprisonment, with him spending time reading Russian literary classics. At court appearances, he often smiled and nodded at reporters he once worked with.
Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Moscow and Washington have conducted one high-profile prisoner swap: Russia released basketball star Brittney Griner, held for smuggling cannabis, in exchange for arms dealer Viktor Bout, who was jailed for terrorism-related offenses in the United States.
