(Ekaterinburg) A Russian court on Friday sentenced American journalist Evan Gershkovich to 16 years in prison, marking the end of a summary trial behind closed doors on charges of “espionage,” a charge never substantiated by Russia.
His conviction is a precondition for a possible prisoner swap with Washington, as Moscow only exchanges detainees if they are convicted. The United States is working “hard” to get him released, President Joe Biden said.
Earlier, the judge of the Sverdlovsk regional court of Yekaterinburg, Andrei Mineyev, announced that Evan Gershkovich had been “found guilty and sentenced to 16 years in prison,” according to an AFP journalist on the scene.
The reporter of the Wall Street Journalaged 32, will have to serve his sentence in a penal colony with a “severe regime”, which means very strict conditions of detention, compared to the “normal regime”.
Evan Gershkovich is the first Western journalist to be convicted in Russia for espionage.
In the dock, he appeared before the press before the verdict was read, his arms crossed, his head shaved – a haircut imposed on prisoners – and a growing beard on his tired face.
In a press release, the Wall Street Journal denounced the sentence as “scandalous”, while the NGO Reporters Without Borders denounced “another flagrant example of unacceptable hostage-taking”.
Evan Gershkovich said he was innocent and exercised his right to a “final speech” before the verdict, court spokeswoman Ekaterina Maslennikova told reporters earlier. The prosecution had requested an 18-year prison sentence.
PHOTO ALEXANDER NEMENOV, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Evan Gershkovich is the first Western journalist since Soviet times to be accused of spying in Russia.
He will soon be sent to a penal colony if neither he nor the prosecution appeals within two weeks. This transfer could take several days or even weeks.
Discussions for an exchange
A reporter known for his professionalism, Evan Gershkovich was arrested at the end of March 2023, while he was reporting in Yekaterinburg, capital of the Urals.
The accusation of “espionage” has never been substantiated by Russia. The journalist, his family, his relatives and the White House denounce a completely fabricated case.
The Kremlin once again refused on Friday to specify the content of its accusations: “The accusations of espionage are a very sensitive matter, we cannot make any further comments, the trial is ongoing,” evaded the spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin, Dmitry Peskov.
Mr. Gershkovich’s trial, after 16 months in detention, has been expeditious since June 26. The entire procedure was kept secret and nothing has leaked out of the closed session imposed by the authorities.
For Washington, his arrest was primarily intended to cash in on a possible prisoner exchange, amid tensions between Russia and the United States over the armed conflict in Ukraine.
Moscow has admitted to negotiating his release and Vladimir Putin himself has mentioned the case of Vadim Krassikov, in prison in Germany for a contract assassination attributed to Russian special services.
Wave of solidarity and indignation
The imprisonment of the American journalist in March 2023 sparked a significant wave of solidarity among international media and indignation from Western chancelleries.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Friday called the reporter’s conviction “despicable”, while German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said it was “part of the war propaganda of the [Vladimir] Poutine “.
PHOTO ARCHIVES ASSOCIATED PRESS
Evan Gershkovich
European Parliament President Roberta Metsola denounced a “sham trial” which is the “antithesis of justice”.
The UN human rights office said the journalist’s conviction raised “great concerns” about freedom of expression.
In exile, Russian opposition leader Yulia Navalnaya castigated an “unfair” verdict on X.
Donald Trump, for his part, attacked Joe Biden, saying that unlike the Democratic president, he would succeed in getting Evan Gershkovich out of prison “immediately” after his victory in the November presidential election, without any compensation. The Republican candidate did not, however, specify how he intended to achieve this.
Whelan, Kurmasheva, Karelina…
The child of immigrants who fled the USSR for the United States, Evan Gershkovich settled in Russia in 2017.
Russian investigators accuse the journalist, who worked for AFP in Moscow in 2020-2021, of having collected sensitive information for the CIA on one of Russia’s main arms manufacturers, the Uralvagonzavod company.
This plant produces, among other things, T-90 tanks used in Ukraine and the new generation Armata tanks, while its civilian activity is the production of freight cars.
Russia is holding several other Americans, including Russian-American journalist Alsu Kurmasheva, arrested in 2023 on a “foreign agents” charge, and former Marine Paul Whelan, who is serving a 16-year prison sentence for espionage, a charge he disputes.
A Russian-American national, Ksenia Karelina, has been on trial since June 20, also in Yekaterinburg, for high treason, accused of having given money to a group supporting Ukraine.