In a case that the US government and the Wall Street Journal have denounced as a sham, Evan Gershkovich ‘14, the first American journalist to be arrested on espionage charges in Russia since the Cold War, has been found guilty of spying by a Russian court and sentenced to sixteen years in prison following a secret, three-day trial, the Associated Press reports.
A student leaves a message of support beneath a monitor in Smith Union that counts the days of Evan Gershkovich's detainment.
MEDIA COVERAGE
"," Times Record/Portland Press Herald
The court in Yekaterinburg announced the guilty verdict shortly after 3:00 p.m. Friday, July 19, local time, or just after 8:00 a.m. ET.
Gershkovich appeared in a glass cage with his head freshly shaved at the start of the trial on June 26. The rapid conclusion to the trial has prompted speculation that the Kremlin may be positioning him as part of a prisoner swap with the US.
According to , the court said in a statement that Gershkovich did not admit guilt, but said “the totality of the evidence presented to the court was sufficient to render a guilty verdict.”
The Times also reports that Dow Jones, parent company of The Wall Street Journal, called the conviction “disgraceful” and “a sham” adding that, “We will continue to do everything possible to press for Evan’s release and to support his family.”
Earlier this month, a United Nations report found that Gershkovich had been “arbitrarily detained” by Russian authorities, who have failed to provide “any factual or legal substantiation” for accusations of espionage against him.
According to , the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, which includes legal scholars from five countries, concluded that Gershkovich’s arrest was “designed to punish his reporting on the armed conflict” between Russia and Ukraine. “Consequently, it lacked a legal basis and is arbitrary,” read the report, which called for Gershkovich’s immediate release.
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