A Russian court found a young American reporter Evan Gershkovich guilty of espionage on Friday and sentenced him to 16 years in a maximum security penal colony.
The maximum sentence for the crime he was accused of is 20 years.
His employer, the Wall Street Journal called the order “a disgraceful sham conviction.”
Gershkovich, a 32-year-old American who said the allegations against him were false, went on trial last month in the city of Yekaterinburg.
He is the first U.S. journalist arrested on spying charges in Russia since the Cold War.
The court released video of the hearing which covered the pronouncement of the verdict read out in rapid-fire legalese for nearly four minutes.
In the video, Gershkovich was standing in a glass courtroom cage and was listening to the verdict. Asked by the judge if he had any questions, he replied “No” in Russian.
The judge, Andrei Mineyev, said that the time Gershkovich had already served since his arrest nearly 16 months ago would count towards the 16-year sentence. He ordered the destruction of the reporter’s mobile phone and paper notebook. The defence has 15 days to appeal.
The White House and State Department had no immediate comment.
“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,” the Journal said in a statement.
“We will continue to do everything possible to press for Evan’s release and to support his family. Journalism is not a crime, and we will not rest until he’s released. This must end now.”
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has condemned the verdict and said that Gershkovich be released. Starmer said that sentencing is despicable. “Journalism should not be a crime.”
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said on Friday that the sentencing of U.S. reporter Evan Gershkovich by a Russian court shows President Vladimir Putin’s fear of the power of facts.
Baerbock wrote on X, “Journalism is not a crime and the truth cannot be locked away.”
She added that the verdict was “politically motivated and part of Putin’s war propaganda.”
Friday’s hearing was only the third in the trial. Espionage cases often take months to handle.
The unusual speed at which the trial was held behind closed doors has led to speculation that a long-discussed U.S.-Russia prisoner exchange deal may be in the offing. This deal could involve Gershkovich and potentially other Americans detained in Russia.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov chose not to comment on a question from Reuters about the possibility of such an exchange. He said, “I’ll leave your question unanswered.”
Russian prosecutors had alleged that Gershkovich had gathered secret information on the orders of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency about a company in the Sverdlovsk region. This company manufactures tanks for Moscow’s war in Ukraine. Both Evan and WSJ denied this charge.
Officers of the FSB security service arrested him on March 29, 2023, at a steakhouse in Yekaterinburg, 900 miles (1,400 km) east of Moscow. He has since been held in Moscow’s Lefortovo prison.
Earlier on Friday, the court hearing the case had unexpectedly said it would pronounce its verdict within hours after state prosecutors demanded he be jailed for 18 years for spying.
Russia usually concludes legal proceedings against foreigners before making any deals on exchanging them for Russians held abroad.
‘WRONGFULLY DETAINED’
Gershkovich, his newspaper and the U.S. government rejected the allegations against him and said he was merely doing his job as a reporter accredited by the Foreign Ministry to work in Russia.
State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel declined to speak publicly about negotiations on a prisoner exchange.
Vedant Patel said that Washington was seeking the release of Gershkovich and another jailed American, former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, as soon as possible.
The Kremlin has said the case and the trial arrangements were matters for the court. The Kremlin has stated in the past – without publishing evidence – that Gershkovich was caught spying “red-handed”.
U.S. officials have repeatedly accused Russia of using Gershkovich and Whelan as bargaining chips for a possible prisoner exchange.
Washington considers both men “wrongfully detained” and says it is committed to bringing them home.
President Vladimir Putin has said Russia is open to a prisoner exchange involving Gershkovich, and that contacts with the United States have taken place but must remain secret.
From the time Russian troops entered Ukraine in 2022, Moscow and Washington have conducted just one high profile prisoner swap.
Russia had released basketball star Brittney Griner, held for smuggling cannabis, in return for arms dealer Viktor Bout, jailed for terrorism-related offences in the United States.
(With Inputs From Reuters)
