- 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."