Russian prosecutor seeks 18 years in prison for journalist Evan Gershkovich

The prosecution in Russia’s closed trial of American journalist Evan Gershkovich for alleged espionage requested an 18-year prison term on Friday, as the case with grave implications for press freedom in Russia moved rapidly toward an inevitable conviction.

The trial, which has been described by United States officials as a sham, proceeded with unusual swiftness — suggesting potential developments in negotiations for a prisoner exchange. Trials for espionage in Russia typically take months.

The prosecutor’s request was close to the maximum 20-year penalty.

Gershkovich’s arrest in March 2023 seemed to mark a brazen new chapter in hostage diplomacy, by which the Kremlin details foreigners on baseless charges only to use them to negotiate exchanges for Russians convicted of serious crimes in the West.

Senior Russian and U.S. officials have said that talks about an exchange involving Gershkovich are underway but, according to Kremlin policy, would only proceed once the trial is over.

Gershkovich, his employer The Wall Street Journal and the State Department have all strongly denied the accusation that he was working for the CIA. His conviction was widely expected, given the highly politicized nature of Russia’s legal system.

Gershkovich, 32, who was accredited as a journalist by Russia’s Foreign Ministry, was detained while on a reporting trip to Yekaterinburg and accused of spying. He pleaded not guilty.

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