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Russian court jails US journalist Evan Gershkovich for 16 years on espionage charges

The Wall Street Journal described the 32-year-old's conviction as "disgraceful," and a "sham".

A man in a grey t-shirt standing in a glass cell in a courtroom

Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich was sentenced on Friday. Source: AAP / Dmitri Lovetsky/AP

Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich has been convicted of espionage by a Russian court and sentenced to 16 years in prison.

The background: Gershkovich was detained in March 2023 while on a reporting trip to the Ural Mountains and has been behind bars ever since.

The 32-year-old was the first US journalist taken into custody on espionage charges since Nicholas Daniloff in 1986 during the Cold War.

The key quote: "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 Wall Street Journal.
What else to know: Gershkovich's arrest shocked foreign journalists in Russia, even though the country has enacted increasingly repressive laws on freedom of speech after sending troops into Ukraine.

Closing arguments took place behind closed doors at the trial, where Gershkovich did not admit guilt.

What happens next: US President Joe Biden said Gershkovich did not commit any crime and has been wrongfully detained.

He said his administration was "pushing hard" for the journalist's release.

Read more: Jailed in Russia, this journalist's humorous letter home shows 'his spirit is shining'

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Source: AAP, SBS


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