Evan Gershkovich sentenced to 16 years in Russian penal colony for espionage #news #breakingnews

Evan Gershkovich sentenced to 16 years in Russian penal colony for espionage
Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich has been sentenced to 16 years in a Russian penal colony for espionage after a guilty verdict was announced in the US journalist's trial on Friday.

The State Prosecutor's Office in Russia had sought an 18-year sentence but was sentenced to 16 years instead.

The Wall Street Journal reporter's trial moved into closing arguments early Friday morning after just two days of hearings in a case his newspaper and the US have denounced as a sham.

Gershkovich has been in custody for 15 months.

The extraordinary pace of the trial has fueled speculation that Russia may be rushing Gershkovich's sentence to facilitate a possible prisoner swap. In the past, Russia has only been fond of trafficking people when they have been convicted.

Gershkovich, a 32-year-old American, has been held in Russia for more than a year since he was arrested on espionage charges that the Wall Street Journal and the United States said were fabricated. Gershkovich’s trial began in June with a one-day hearing behind closed doors at the Sverdlovsk Regional Court in Yekaterinburg, a city about 900 miles from Moscow.