Evan Gershkovich, a Jewish Wall Street Journal reporter whom Russia has detained since March 29, 2023, on charges of espionage that are widely seen as false, was sentenced on Friday to 16 years in prison.
In response to the verdict, which was delivered by a secret court, U.S. President Joe Biden vowed that “we will not cease in our efforts to bring him home.”
“Despite having committed no crime,” Biden stated, “he was targeted by the Russian government because he is a journalist and an American.”
The Jewish Federations of North America called the verdict “ridiculous” in “a sham secret trial held behind closed doors in Russia.”
Members of Congress on both sides of the aisle called for Gershkovich’s release, including Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Todd Young (R-Ind.) and Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) and Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Mich.). Keir Starmer, the British prime minister, also demanded the reporter be freed, writing that the conviction was “despicable and only serves to underscore Russia’s utter contempt for media freedom.”