By The opinion
19 Jul 2024, 11:08 AM EDT
Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reporter Evan Gershkovich32, who was arrested in March 2023, was sentenced to 16 years in prison after being found guilty of espionage by a Russian court in Yekaterinburg
The verdict, which marks the first time an American journalist has been convicted of espionage in that country since the Cold War more than 30 years ago, was delivered behind closed doors.
According to media such as the BBC and CNN, Gershkovich was accused by prosecutors of follow instructions from the CIA to gather secret information about a tank factory in the Sverdlovsk region, a crime for which they requested an 18-year prison sentence, although the journalist denied the accusations.
Following the ruling, WSJ publisher and Dow Jones CEO Almar Latour and WSJ editor-in-chief Emma Tucker issued a joint statement.
“This shameful and false conviction comes after Evan has spent 478 days in prisonunjustly detained, far from his family and friends, unable to report, all for doing his job as a journalist,” they said.
“We will continue to do everything possible to obtain Evan’s release… Journalism is not a crime and we will not rest until he is released. This must end now,” they added.
The day before the verdict was announced, the WSJ said: “Even as Russia orchestrates its shameful sham trial, we continue to do everything we can to press for Evan’s immediate release.”
Possible prisoner exchange
Gershkovich’s trial began last month, and The last two days of the hearing were originally scheduled for August.However, the rest of the trial was eventually brought forward to this week, the BBC reports.
It has been about 16 months since the journalist was first arrested by security services while covering the situation in Yekaterinburg.
Since then, several media have speculated that A prisoner exchange deal between the United States and Russia could be reachedand the BBC reported that the US has accused Russia of detaining Gershkovich “as a bargaining chip” in such a swap.
As an example, in December 2022 the American basketball player Brittney Griner was exchanged by the “Merchant of Death,” the Russian arms dealer Victor But.
According to the EFE agency, the last arrest of an American journalist for espionage took place in 1986, and involved Nicholas Daniloff (US News&World Report), who was arrested by the KGB and exchanged three weeks later for a Soviet prisoner.
Keep reading:
– Trump says that if he wins the election, Evan Gershkovich, a reporter imprisoned in Russia, will be released.
– Biden threatens Russia on anniversary of arrest of journalist Evan Gershkovich.