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- A Russian court sentenced Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich to 16 years in prison.
- Gershkovich was accused of espionage, which he, his family, and US officials have denied.
- He was detained in March 2023, and US officials have tried to secure his release without success.
Evan Gershkovich, a reporter for The Wall Street Journal, was given a 16-year prison sentence by the Russian court system on Friday, according to the Russian state media news agency TASS.
Gershkovich was accused of espionage by Russian officials in a case widely derided as unjust and political.
The prosecution was looking for a sentence of 18 years, according to ABC News.
Gershkovich's family, The Journal, and US officials, including President Joe Biden, have dismissed the idea that he was a spy.
He was, he said, nothing more than a journalist reporting fairly on Russia — an increasingly difficult task as the Kremlin has cracked down on international and domestic media alike.
In a post on Telegram, Sverdlovsk Regional Court said Gershkovich did not admit guilt during the trial, but the "totality of the evidence" was sufficient to render a guilty verdict on espionage charges.
It alleged that he had collected secret information about the activities of a defense enterprise in the region on instructions from US intelligence services.
In a statement, Dow Jones, the parent company of The Journal, described it as a "disgraceful, sham conviction."
It added: "Journalism is not a crime, and we will not rest until he's released."
Gershkovich was detained in March 2023. US officials have tried to secure his release without success.
On the one-year anniversary of his detention, Biden released a statement saying: "Journalism is not a crime, and Evan went to Russia to do his job as a reporter —risking his safety to shine the light of truth on Russia's brutal aggression against Ukraine.
Biden added: "Shortly after his wholly unjust and illegal detention, he drafted a letter to his family from prison, writing: 'I am not losing hope.' As I have told Evan's parents, I will never give up hope either. We will continue working every day to secure his release."
The Kremlin and Putin himself have previously suggested being open to a prisoner exchange involving Gershkovich.
In 2022, the US swapped imprisoned WNBA star Brittney Griner for the convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout. Griner was accused of having cannabis oil in her luggage at a Russian airport and imprisoned for nearly a year.
Another American imprisoned in Russia, the former marine Paul Whelan — who was visiting Moscow in late 2018 to attend a wedding — was accused of espionage and sentenced to 16 years. He remains detained.