American journalist Evan Gershkovich - a correspondent for The Wall Street Journal - has been sentenced to 16 years in prison by a Russian court on charges of espionage.

The verdict, delivered in a closed-door trial, has been widely condemned by his employer and the United States government, who maintain the charges are baseless and politically motivated.

Gershkovich, 32, was found guilty of espionage by Judge Andrei Mineyev, who stated the punishment as “imprisonment for a term of 16 years in a strict regime colony”. Video footage from the court showed the journalist standing in a glass cage as the verdict was announced. When asked if he had any questions, Gershkovich responded with a simple “No” in Russian.

The Wall Street Journal has vehemently denounced the conviction. “This disgraceful, sham conviction comes after Evan has spent 478 days in prison, wrongfully detained, away from his family and friends, prevented from reporting, all for doing his job as a journalist,” said Almar Latour, chief executive of Dow Jones, and Emma Tucker, the newspaper’s editor-in-chief, in a joint statement. “Journalism is not a crime.”

Gershkovich was arrested on March 29, 2023, during a reporting trip to Yekaterinburg in the Ural Mountains. He was accused by Russian prosecutors of gathering secret information about Uralvagonzavod, a plant manufacturing tanks for Russia’s war in Ukraine, allegedly under orders from the CIA. However, no public evidence has been provided to support these claims. The Kremlin has asserted that he was caught “red-handed” spying on the tank factory.

This conviction marks the first time a Western journalist has been arrested on espionage charges in post-Soviet Russia. Despite having accreditation from Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Gershkovich has been held since his arrest, with time already served to be counted towards his sentence. The judge also ordered the destruction of his mobile phone and paper notebook.

The prosecution had initially sought an 18-year sentence, and the defence has been given 15 days to appeal the verdict. Gershkovich’s trial progressed swiftly since the first hearing in late June, with closed trials being the norm in Russia for cases involving treason or espionage.

In their statement, The Wall Street Journal vowed to continue efforts to secure Gershkovich’s release. “We will continue to do everything possible to press for Evan’s release and to support his family,” it read. “This must end now.”

The United States government has also condemned the sentencing, reiterating that Gershkovich was merely performing his duties as a journalist. The case has further strained relations between Washington and Moscow, already tense due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.