On Friday, in a case that the United States government and his employer have denounced as a sham, a Russian court found Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, the first U.S. journalist to face such a charge since Nicholas Daniloff in 1986, guilty of espionage and sentenced him to 16 years in a high-security penal …
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OnFriday,inacasethattheUnitedStatesgovernmentandhisemployerhavedenouncedasasham,aRussiancourtfoundWallStreetJournalreporterEvanGershkovich,thefirstU.S.journalisttofacesuchachargesinceNicholasDaniloffin1986,guiltyofespionageandsentencedhimto16yearsinahigh-securitypenalcolony.
GershkovichwasarrestedinMarch2023inYekaterinburgandlateraccusedofbeingaCIAspy;Russianprosecutorsallegedthat“underinstructionsfromtheCIA”and“usingpainstakingconspiratorialmethods,”Gershkovich“wascollectingsecretinformation”regardingaRussiandefensecontractor.TheU.S.StateDepartmentcalledforhisimmediaterelease;nopublicevidencehasbeenpresentedbyRussiathatsupporteditscase.HewasheldinMoscow’sinfamousStalin-eraLefortovoPrisoninasmal
