US-Journalist Gershkovich sentenced to 16 years in prison in Russia
For over a year, Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich has been sitting in a Russian prison. Now, a court has sentenced him to 16 years in prison on charges of espionage. The reason: He is accused of working for the CIA. The journalist and the US deny the allegations.
Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich has been sentenced to 16 years in prison in Russia on charges of espionage. According to Russian news agencies, the trial began on June 26, 2023, and was held behind closed doors.
Gershkovich is the first Western journalist to be arrested in Russia on espionage charges since the end of the Cold War. He has been in pre-trial detention at the Lefortovo Prison in Moscow since March 2023. At the time of his arrest, the reporter was on a research trip in the city of Yekaterinburg, located east of the Ural Mountains, where his trial is now taking place.
Russian prosecutors accuse Gershkovich of working for the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and of gathering secret information about a tank manufacturer in the Ural region. The 32-year-old denies the allegations, as does the US government and his employer.
The sentencing of Evan Gershkovich to 16 years in prison has sparked concerns about press freedom in Russia. This incident has also strained relations between the USA and Russia, particularly under the leadership of Vladimir Putin. Russia's actions against journalists like Gershkovich have been criticized internationally as a violation of principles of justice.
