Friday, July 19, 2024 -US reporter, Evan Gershkovich has been jailed for 16 years by a Russian court after being found guilty of espionage charges.
The court in Yekaterinburg announced
the guilty verdict and sentencing on Friday afternoon, July 19.
Gershkovich, a 32-year-old American
was first arrested last March while on a reporting trip in the city of
Yekaterinburg, about 1,600km (1,000 miles) east of Moscow, by security
services. He was accused of spying for the CIA but Russian authorities never
offered any public evidence publicly to support their claims.
Prosecutors accused him of working
for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), accusations that Gershkovich, the
WSJ and the US vociferously deny.
It marks the first conviction of a US
journalist for espionage in Russia since the Cold War ended more than 30 years
ago.
Prosecutors accused him of working
for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), accusations that Gershkovich, the
WSJ and the US vociferously deny.
It marks the first conviction of a US
journalist for espionage in Russia since the Cold War ended more than 30 years
ago.
In a statement following Friday’s
sentencing, Gershkovich’s employer said: “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.
“We will continue to do everything possible
to press for Evan’s release and to support his family,” the statement from Dow
Jones CEO and Wall Street Journal Publisher Almar Latour and Wall Street
Journal Editor in Chief Emma Tucker continued.
“Journalism is not a crime, and we will not
rest until he’s released. This must end now,” it added.
US and Western officials have accused
Russia of using Gershkovich and other jailed foreigners as bargaining chips for
possible prisoner exchanges.
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