WSJ reporter Evan Gershkovich was sentenced to 16 years of spies by an Russian judge in a case described in the US as a fraud
Evan Gershkovich, the first American journalist detained for espionage charges in Russia during the time after the end in the Cold War, has been found guilty of spying and sentenced to 16 years by a Russian justice system in a case that the US government as well as his newspaper and others have dismissed as a fraud.
By Sophie Tanno
Jul 20, 2024 12:12 AM
CNN —
Evan Gershkovich is among the first American journalists to be arrested for spying in Russia in the time after the end of Cold War, has been accused of spying and sent to prison for 16 years in prison by a Russian court in a case which the US government, as along with his media and his supporters have dismissed as a ploy to defraud.
The Yekaterinburg has declared its guilty verdict, as well the sentencing announcement was made on Friday, just around 3.30 p.m. in the time zone (8 a.m. ET).
In the courtroom the closing arguments were heard. The 32-year-old Gershkovich was a reporter at Wall Street Journal. Wall Street Journal reporter, gave his closing remarks in the early hours of Friday morning.
The quick conclusion of the case comes only a couple of weeks away from the time that Gershkovich first appeared in an enclosure wearing a hair clip cut at the start of the court trial 26th the month of June. That day, Gershkovich stood cross-armed, frequently smiling and waving to reporters.
The speed of the trial taking place has led to questions as to whether the Kremlin will utilize his testimony in a deal to swap prisoners, which could require America. United States, suggestions which spokesperson Dmitry Peskov left without comment when asked about them during the conference call held on Friday, prior to the announcement of the verdict.
In June, Moscow was confirmed that discussions are ongoing concerning an agreement for a possible prisoner swap for Gershkovich However, Peskov repeatedly stated that discussions were conducted in “absolute silence” to prevent issues.
Gershkovich was detained when employed by the WSJ during a trip to Yekaterinburg in March 2023. He was later accused of being a spy for the CIA. Russian authorities have not provided evidence to support their claims.
After two weeks from his arrest in March 2023, the US State Department designated him as illegally detained and demanded for his immediate release.
in a press release issued following the Friday’s sentencing Gershkovich’s firm said: “This disgraceful, sham sentence comes as a consequence from Evan was sentenced to 478 days in prison. He was unlawfully imprisoned, deprived of his liberty, his family and friends and unable to report for the sake of his job as a journalist.
“We will continue to do everything possible to press for Evan’s release and to support his family,” the statement from Dow Jones CEO John Dow Jones, Wall Street Journal Publisher Almar Latour and Wall Street Journal Editor in Chief Emma Tucker continued.
“Journalism does not constitute a criminal offense and we’ll not stop until he is released. It’s time to end this,” it stated.
The United Nations Security Council on Friday, US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield Ambassador spoke about Gershkovich’s case. “Let me start with the news that came out of Russia in the early hours of this morning. Evan Gershkovich was sentenced to 16 years of imprisonment. He was not guilty of any crime. He is punished because he’s journalist, and has the status of an American. It’s as simple as that,” she added.
The journalist advocacy group known by its acronym the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has joined the chorus of harsh criticism of Russia’s current status as the fourth most incarcerated country worldwide for journalists. It also has around 22 journalists in prison.
“Journalists are not playing a role in geopolitical game. It’s time to end hostage diplomacy and release him as soon as possible,” CPJ Director Carlos Martinez de la Serna announced in an announcement.
15 calendar days in which to make an appeal
The verdict has yet to taken effect, and the defense could contest the verdict within fifteen days,, judge Andrey Mineyev stated when he handed down his decision. The judge also ordered Gershkovich to pay for costs of the procedure for the sum of 6708 rubles ($77) as well as the personal belongings like the iPhone and the notebook that was which was ordered to go to the landfill.
In accordance with the ruling the time Gershkovich was in jail since the beginning of the month is counted toward the sentence he’s serving.
After his arrest, Gershkovich was detained in the famous Lefortovo prison in Lefortovo, where he remained for nearly each day inside a small cell until he was transferred to a city known as Yekaterinburg in the Urals around 1,100 miles from the east of the capital city. He spent writing letters to family and friends His parents shared their story through an interview WSJ where they stated that the prisoner could only be allowed an hour of exercise per day.
Gershkovich and Gershkovich Gershkovich, the US government, Gershkovich Gershkovich, the US government and WSJ have denied all accusations against Gershkovich. Gershkovich, the US government as well as and the WSJ and the government have all denied the allegations.
US together with Western Officials have been accused Western officials of the US and Western US officials from Russia of using Gershkovich and other prisoners from abroad to negotiate swaps of prisoners.
A well-publicized swap in 2022 was an enormous transaction in the 2022. US Basketball player Brittney Griner made a swap with arms broker Viktor Bout. However, Russia did not allow the release of another of its imprisoned US citizen, Paul Whelan, as they would like to free an ex-colonel of Russia’s spy agency in exchange for an incentive.
It’s a href=”https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/07/sport/brittney-griner-russia-detainment-release-spt-intl/index.html #:~:text=The%20US%20State%20Department%2C%20however,Russian%20arms%20dealer%20Viktor%20Bout. “> Whelan stated to CNN in the last week that he had “sympathy and empathy” for Gershkovich But He expressed his hopes that the latest developments might lead to come to an agreement that would ensure both of their releases.
Whelan, who spoke with CNN from his cell at Mordovia Friday said to CNN that it was possible to view a newscast on the sentence.
“The only thing I was able to remember when I was in court, as the judge read the lies of my conviction and then hearing that I would be sentenced to 16 years in jail. It’s an humbling experience knowing that you’re completely innocent and you’re not a part of this stage performance was going on right in front of you.” Whelan said.
Russian Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia Vladimir Putin has previously offered “an agreement can be reached” with the United States to release Gershkovich and spoke of of the case of a Russian citizens who were found to be guilty of an assassination Berlin in the year 2019 during an interview with right-wing US anchor Tucker Carlson in February.
The case of Gershkovich the American-born son of Soviet immigrants from the US has exposed that Russia’s massive aggression against Ukraine has damaged relations between Moscow and Washington.
The indictment Russian defense lawyers claimed that they were “under instructions from the CIA” and “using painstaking conspiratorial methods,” Gershkovich “was collecting secret information” about the operations of the Russian tank factory.
The article was updated.
