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Russia arrested American journalist Evan Gershkovich in March 2023 and slapped espionage charges on him read more
 "Russian court convicts US journalist Evan Gershkovich, sentences him to 16 years in jail")
American journalist Evan Gershkovich has been in jail in Russia since March 2023 (Photo: AFP)
A Russian court on Friday convicted American journalist Evan Gershkovich and sentenced him to 16 years in prison.
Gershkovich is a Russia-based reporter with The Wall Street Journal. Russia arrested him in March 2023 and accused him of spying for the US Central Intelligence Agency.
The case against Gershkovich has widely been seen as a sham trial in which the verdict was a foregone conclusion. He is the first American journalist to be arrested in Russia since the Cold War.
The Russian prosecutors had sought 18-year prison term for Gershkovich, according to state media. The charges against him carry a maximum sentence of 20 years. The Moscow Times reported that he would be shipped to a maximum-security prison for his sentence. Previously, he was held in Moscow’s notorious Lefortovo prison which has been known to house political prisoners by the Russian regime.
The US government as well as The WSJ have categorically rejected the accusation and have dubbed the proceedings against him as a sham case.
The closing arguments in the case were heard earlier in the day. Following the conclusion of the arguments, the judge retired to deliberate on the verdict. The judge is expected to deliver the verdict in the evening.
In March 2023, Gershkovich was arrested in Russia’s Yekaterinburg city in the Urals mountains. Last month, Russia’s Prosecutor General Igor Krasnov last month said Gershkovich was “collecting secret information” about tank-maker Uralvagonzavod in the Sverdlovsk region where he was arrested, according to The Moscow Times.
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English (US) ·