Russian Court to Deliver Verdict on Evan Gershkovich

The Wall Street Journal reporter’s trial on espionage charges was widely viewed as a sham outside Russia. But the verdict could set the stage for a prisoner exchange.

A court in Russia on Friday sentenced Evan Gershkovich, a reporter for The Wall Street Journal, to 16 years in a high-security penal colony, ending his espionage trial on what were widely viewed outside Russia as fabricated charges. The verdict opens the way for a potential prisoner swap between the United States and Russia.

The harsh sentence represented the first espionage conviction of a Western reporter in modern Russia. But the expedited nature of the case suggested that Moscow might be ready to trade Mr. Gershkovich. The proceedings were recently moved up by more than three weeks, and the court concluded the case, a process that usually takes months, in a matter of weeks, with only three hearings.

The court said in a statement that Mr. Gershkovich did not admit guilt, but said “the totality of the evidence presented to the court was sufficient to render a guilty verdict.” Judge Andrei N. Mineev, who presided over the case, sentenced Mr. Gershkovich to two years less than prosecutors were asking.

At no time during the case, however, did prosecutors publicly provide any evidence to back up the charge, and the trial was held behind closed doors. The Russian judicial system for years has served as a tool of President Vladimir V. Putin’s domestic repression, handing down convictions and long sentences in cases with clear political motivations.

In Russia, once a person is charged with a crime, it is virtually impossible to get an acquittal in court. Only one in about 385 criminal court trials ended with an acquittal in 2023, according to court statistics.

Dow Jones, the parent company of The Journal, called the conviction “disgraceful” and a “sham.” The company added in a statement that, “We will continue to do everything possible to press for Evan’s release and to support his family.”