Outrage grows over Evan Gershkovich’s 16-year sentence in Russian penal colony

President Joe Biden says Gershkovich was ‘targeted by the Russian government because he is a journalist and an American’

The White House has lashed out at the wrongful conviction of US journalist Evan Gershkovich, who was sentenced to 16 years in Russian prison on Friday after being accused of spying.

The Wall Street Journal reporter will be sent to a high-security penal colony following a trial the US called a sham. The verdict was widely expected as acquittals in Russian espionage trials are incredibly rare.

President Joe Biden said in a statement on Friday that Gershkovich had “committed no crime” and that “he was targeted by the Russian government because he is a journalist and an American.”

“We are pushing hard for Evan’s release and will continue to do so,” he added. “As I have long said and as the UN also concluded, there is no question that Russia is wrongfully detaining Evan. Journalism is not a crime.”

He went on to say that “Evan has endured his ordeal with remarkable strength.”

US journalist Evan Gershkovich, accused of espionage, gestures inside a glass defendants' cage during the verdict announcement at the Sverdlovsk Regional Court in Yekaterinburg on July 19 (AFP via Getty Images)

The publisher of The Wall Street Journal, Almar Latour, and the paper’s editor in chief, Emma Tucker, said in a statement: “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,” they added. “Journalism is not a crime, and we will not rest until he’s released. This must end now.”

The Russian authorities have failed to publicly share any evidence to back up their claims that Gershkovich is guilty of espionage. Both the US government and his employer have repeatedly rejected the allegations. A spokesperson for the Russian court said on Friday that the reporter “did not admit guilt.”

Russian prosecutors approved an indictment in June that falsely claimed that Gershkovich was working for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) gathering information about a Russian defense contractor.

The court then moved up the hearings by almost a month, speeding up the process of convicting him. Russian officials, including President Vladimir Putin, have indicated a willingness to include the journalist in a possible prisoner exchange, the Journal noted.

“I’m leaving that question without an answer,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said when asked about a prisoner exchange, Russian state media reported.

He added: “There is a charge of espionage, so this is a very, very sensitive area.”

Evan Gershkovich stands listening to the verdict in a glass cage. The Kremlin has indicated that they may be interested in a prisoner exchange (AP)

The 32-year-old Gershkovich has been in Russian prison since March 2023 following his detention by the Federal Security Service while he was reporting in Yekaterinburg, located about 900 miles east of Moscow.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer wrote on X: “The sentencing of @WSJ reporter Evan Gershkovich is despicable and only serves to underscore Russia’s utter contempt for media freedom. Journalism should not be a crime. Gershkovich must be released immediately.”

UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy added: “He is a journalist, works for a respected news outlet, and was accredited by the Russian state to work in Russia. He should be released immediately.”

The Moscow Bureau chief for the Financial Times, Max Seddon, called the charges “absurd” and added that “Russia rushed through the trial and didn’t bother presenting public evidence. It may be a prelude to an exchange. Free Evan!”

Wall Street Journal reporter Alexander Osipovich wrote that Gershkovich’s “head has been shaved in compliance with Russian prison rules. With a growing number of my WSJ colleagues, I have shaved my head in solidarity.”

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said the conviction reveals Putin’s “fear” of the power of facts and that the “truth cannot be locked away.”

“The verdict is politically motivated and part of Putin’s war propaganda,” she said.

Minnesota Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar wrote that the verdict is “beyond the pale.”

“This is yet another egregious assault on independent media and democracy from Vladimir Putin,” she added.

Michigan congresswoman Haley Stevens called for the release of her constituent Paul Whelan, an American who has been detained in Russia since late December 2018. Whelan, a former marine, was also accused of spying and received a 16-year sentence in June 2020.

“Evan Gershkovich’s sentencing to 16 years in prison is yet another gross perversion of justice by Putin’s lawless regime,” Stevens wrote on X. “This was a sham trial for bogus charges. Evan is a journalist, not a spy. It’s long past time to bring Evan, my constituent Paul Whelan, and all wrongfully detained Americans home.”