wall street journal Journalist Evan Gershkovich was sentenced to 16 years in prison on espionage charges in a trial that his newspaper and the US government called a sham.
Host Scott Detrow:
A Russian court sentenced Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich to 16 years in a Russian prison. The 32-year-old man stood ashen-faced in a glass cage in a Russian court hearing the verdict. The reporter was convicted of espionage, a charge the Journal denies. The newspaper called the brief trial a sham. NPR’s Jackie Northam reports.
JACKIE NORTHAM, BYLINE: Last March, Evan Gershkovich was arrested while reporting in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg. Russian authorities said he was caught red-handed and accused of espionage. Wall Street Journal general counsel Jason Conti said Russia never released any evidence and Gershkovich’s trial was conducted in secret.
Jason Conti: I didn’t need to go into the trial to know that they had no evidence whatsoever that Evan was a spy. This is completely false, completely fabricated, and completely nonsense. Evan is a journalist.
NORTHAM: After the verdict, President Biden said there was no doubt Gershkovich was wrongly detained. U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas Greenfield made the comments about Gershkovich at the beginning of her speech to the United Nations Security Council today.
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Linda Thomas Greenfield: He did not commit a crime. He was punished because he was a journalist and an American – simple as that.
NORTHAM: The Wall Street Journal’s Conti says Gershkovich’s conviction was expected. The conviction rate in such cases in Russia exceeds 99%. But the speed of the trial has raised eyebrows and fueled speculation that Russia might be willing to make a swap. It’s Conte again.
Conte: Russia has a history of using individuals as leverage to exchange Russians imprisoned in various locations for many years.
Northam: WNBA star Brittney Griner was recently released from a Russian prison in exchange for notorious arms dealer Viktor Bout, who is in the U.S. on terrorism charges 25 years in prison. Russian President Vladimir Putin has in the past suggested trading Gershkovic for Russian assassin Vadim Krasikov, who is serving a life sentence in Germany. Earlier this week, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said through an interpreter that talks were ongoing.
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Sergey Lavrov: (Through interpreter) In accordance with the agreement between Presidents Putin and Biden, the intelligence services of the two countries have been engaged in contacts to explore the possibility of exchanges.
NORTHAM: Lavrov said the topic needs to be discussed calmly, confidentially and away from the attention of the U.S. media. On Thursday, former President Donald Trump stepped in, saying Gershkovic would be released, adding that Putin would “do it for me and not for anyone else.” Earlier today at the Aspen Forum, NPR’s Mary Louise Kelly asked Secretary of State Antony Blinken whether Putin was waiting for Trump to be elected president before releasing Gershkovich.
Antony Blinken: Any effort to bring Americans home will be part of the negotiation process, and I don’t think it’s dependent on elections in the United States or anywhere else.
NORTHAM: The Wall Street Journal’s Conti says the paper and Gershkovich’s family still hope a swap can happen soon.
Conte: But every day is too long. He had to get out, and he had to get out now. Evan has been in jail for too long.
NORTHAM: Conte says it’s too long to just be a reporter. Jackie Northam, NPR News.
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