Russia: Wall Street Journal Reporter Evan Gershkovich Convicted On Charges Of Spying For CIA, Sentenced to 16 Years In Jail

The Sverdlovsk Regional Court in Russia found Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich guilty of espionage charges and has sentenced him to 16 years in prison, Sputnik reported.

Gershkovich was facing charges of collecting secret information at the behest of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) about the activities of leading defense enterprise Uralvagonzavod, which produces and repairs military equipment. The company manufactures tanks for Moscow’s war in Ukraine.

Gershkovich, accredited as a foreign correspondent by Russian authorities, was the first US journalist arrested on spying charges in Russia since the Cold War.

Gershkovich was detained by Russia's Federal Security Service in March 2023 during a reporting trip in Yekaterinburg, around 900 miles east of Moscow. He was incarcerated for many months in the controversial Lefortovo prison and was moved to a facility in Yekaterinburg for the trial.

Wall Street Journal has vehemently refused the allegations against its reporter and condemned what it termed a 'sham conviction'.

“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,” Wall Street Journal publisher Almar Latour and editor-in-chief Emma Tucker said in a joint 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.”

Another American, marine veteran Paul Whelan, is serving a 16-year sentence in a colony in Mordovia, a remote region some 300 miles east of Moscow, on an espionage charge.

The U.S. government claims that Wheelan too was wrongfully detained. It has accused Russia of using Gershkovich and Whelan as bargaining chips for a possible prisoner exchange.

President Vladimir Putin has previously hinted that Russia is open to a prisoner exchange involving Gershkovich.