Russia convicts US journalist of spying in a trial widely seen as politically motivated

Evan Gershkovich convicted of espionage in Russia, sparking calls for release and potential prisoner swap with U.S.

Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich was convicted on July 19 of espionage and sentenced to 16 years in a maximum-security prison on charges that his employer and the U.S. government have rejected as fabricated.

The swift conclusion of the secretive trial in Russia’s highly politicized legal system could potentially clear the way for a prisoner swap between Moscow and Washington.

Also read | Russia spying charges against reporter ‘categorically false’: WSJ

Gershkovich, his head shaved and looking thin in a dark T-shirt, was calm as he stood in a glass defendants’ cage in the Sverdlovsk Regional Court. He listened impassively to the verdict but gave an occasional smile. When Judge Andrei Mineyev asked him if he had any questions about the verdict, he replied “No, your honor.”

After Mineyev read the verdict, someone in the courtroom shouted, “Evan, we love you!”

Closing arguments took place behind closed doors where Gershkovich did not admit any guilt, according to the court’s press service. Prosecutors requested an 18-year sentence, but the judge opted for a shorter term.

U.S. President Joe Biden said after the conviction that Gershkovich “was targeted by the Russian government because he is a journalist and an American.”