Russia sentences US journalist Evan Gershkovich to 16 years after a spying trial widely seen as poli

(19 Jul 2024)
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ASSOCIATED PRESS
Yekaterinburg - 19 July 2024
1. Various STILLS of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich in glass cage during verdict on espionage charges
2. Various of Gershkovich in glass cage in courtroom
3. Wide of courtroom, journalists and police
STORYLINE:
Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich was convicted Friday 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 conclusion of his swift and secretive trial in the country’s highly politicized legal system could potentially clear the way for a prisoner swap between Moscow and Washington.

Gershkovich, his head shaved, looked calm as he stood in a glass defendants' cage in the Sverdlovsk Regional Court and listened impassively to the verdict. When the judge asked him if he understood it, the journalist replied yes.

After the judge finished reading the verdict, someone in the courtroom shouted, “Evan, we love you!”

Closing arguments took place behind closed doors at the trial, 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.

“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, Dow Jones CEO and Wall Street Journal Publisher Almar Latour and Editor in Chief Emma Tucker said in a statement.

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