In a controversial trial for alleged espionage, US reporter Evan Gershkovich has been sentenced to 16 years in a strict camp in Russia. Russian agencies reported this unanimously from the court in the city of Yekaterinburg.
The prosecution had demanded 18 years in prison. Gershkovich, who worked as a correspondent for the Wall Street Journal in Russia, the US newspaper itself and the US government have always rejected the allegations as baseless.
The US embassy in Moscow has repeatedly called for Gershkovich’s immediate release. It accused the Russian government of abusing US citizens to achieve political goals. The trial was not public.
Negotiations behind the scenes
According to official Russian information, secret negotiations are underway with the USA about an exchange of Gershkovich, but no agreement has yet been reached. Russian observers interpret a quick conviction as a possible indication that Gershkovich could now be exchanged quickly. As a rule, according to Russian judicial practice, a verdict must be in place for an exchange to take place.
Collected data on an arms factory?
The 32-year-old US reporter was arrested in March 2023 on charges of espionage. The Russian domestic intelligence service FSB had made the accusations against Gershkovich. According to the indictment, he is said to have secretly collected information on the Uralvagonzavod arms factory on behalf of the US secret service CIA.
At the time of his arrest, the reporter was on a research trip to the city of Yekaterinburg, east of the Ural Mountains, where his trial was now taking place.
Gershkovich spent most of his more than a year of pre-trial detention in a Moscow prison. He repeatedly appealed against the extension of his detention, but to no avail.
The trial against him began on June 26. After the second day of the trial, the court concluded what the judiciary called the hearing of evidence on Thursday. Media reported that a local deputy from Yekaterinburg who had met with Gershkovich testified in court as a witness. The politician had previously reported that the US citizen was interested in military issues.
