For Immediate Release:
Dateline: Indianapolis,
IN
Friday, July 19, 2024
CONTACT: Ashanti Blaize-Hopkins, SPJ National President, ashanti.blaize@gmail.com
Kim Tsuyuki, SPJ Communications Specialist, ktsuyuki@hq.spj.org
INDIANAPOLIS – The Society of Professional Journalists strongly condemns the conviction and 16-year sentence of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich imposed by a Russian court. Gershkovich was convicted Friday of espionage after a speedy, closed-door trial that has been deemed a sham by the U.S. government. The trial began on June 26 and took place over only three hearings.
“Evan Gershkovich in no way, shape, or form received any semblance of a fair and free trial. This conviction and 16-year sentence are unjust, shameful and sets a dangerous precedent for journalists working abroad. Journalism is not a crime, and Evan was simply doing his job as a journalist,” said SPJ National President Ashanti Blaize-Hopkins. “SPJ calls on the U.S. government to do everything in its power to bring him home safely.”
According to the Wall Street Journal, Russian authorities have produced no public evidence to support their allegations, and the Russian government has shown interest in swapping Gershkovich for Russians being held in the West.
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