Russian prosecutors on Friday requested an 18-year prison sentence for American journalist Evan Gershkovich of The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), who is accused of espionage, Russian judicial authorities said.
“During the debate, the prosecutor’s office asked for a sentence of 18 years’ imprisonment in a maximum security penal colony,” the press service of the court where Gershkovich is being tried reported, as quoted by the Russian news agency TASS.
According to a court spokesman quoted by Agence France-Presse, the verdict is expected to be announced at 12:00 in Lisbon.
The defendant “did not admit guilt” and exercised his right to “a final opportunity to speak” before sentencing, the press secretary said.
The trial is taking place behind closed doors in Yekaterinburg, a city in the Urals where the 32-year-old journalist was detained during a reporting trip in March 2023.
Authorities said, without providing evidence, that Gershkovich “gathered classified information” for the U.S. spy agency, the CIA.
In particular, he was accused of receiving information about Uralvagonzavod, a plant located 150 km north of Yekaterinburg that produces and repairs tanks and other military equipment.
Gershkovich, a former journalist for AFP’s Moscow bureau, has always maintained his innocence.
Born in the United States and the son of immigrants from the former Soviet Union, Gershkovich is the first Western journalist to be detained on charges of espionage in post-Soviet Russia.
According to the American news agency AP, Russian courts convict more than 99% of defendants, and prosecutors can appeal sentences they consider too lenient, as well as acquittals.
Gershkovich’s trial began on June 26 in Yekaterinburg after he spent about 15 months in Moscow’s notorious Lefortovo prison.
Gershkovich appeared in court today for the second day in a row.
Unlike previous hearings, where reporters were allowed to see Gershkovich briefly before the trial began, the press was not allowed into the courtroom this week.
Russian authorities have given no explanation for the decision, but espionage and treason cases are usually shrouded in secrecy.
“Even as Russia stages a disgraceful sham trial, we continue to do everything in our power to demand Evan’s immediate release,” the WSJ said in a recent statement.
“Evan was doing his job as a journalist, and journalism is not a crime. Bring him home immediately,” the newspaper demanded.
The US State Department said Gershkovich had been “unjustly detained” and vowed to aggressively pursue his release.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov confirmed at the UN on Wednesday that there was “irrefutable evidence” against Gershkovich, although he did not disclose it.
Lavrov also reported that Moscow and Washington’s “intelligence services” are discussing a prisoner exchange involving Gershkovich.
Russia had previously hinted at the possibility of an exchange, but only after Gershkovich’s verdict.
State Department deputy spokesman Vedant Patel declined Thursday to discuss talks about a possible swap but confirmed the journalist was innocent.
“To date, Russia has provided no evidence of a crime and has failed to justify Evan’s continued detention,” he added, AP quoted him as saying.
US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield accused Moscow of treating “people like bargaining chips.”
He mentioned Hershkovich and former Marine Paul Whelan, the 53-year-old security director for a Michigan company who is serving a 16-year sentence after being convicted of espionage.
Whelan and the United States have always denied the allegations.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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