Lawmakers show unified front in decrying ‘sham’ Russian sentencing of journalist Evan Gershkovich

Democratic and Republican congressional leaders showed a rare unified front in decrying the conviction of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who was sentenced by a Russian court to 16 years in a high-security penal colony. 

Mr. Gershkovich has been held in custody by Russian authorities since March 2023, who accused him of spying for the U.S. while on a reporting trip to the Ural Mountains. He was convicted on charges of espionage. 

House Speaker Mike Johnson, Louisiana Republican, Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer, New York Democrat, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, New York Democrat, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Kentucky Republican, called on Moscow to free Mr. Gershkovich and Paul Whelan, who was arrested in 2018 and sentenced to 16 years in prison in 2020 for espionage charges. 

The State Department has designated both Mr. Gershkovich and Mr. Whelan as being wrongfully detained. 

“For 478 days, Evan Gershkovich’s wrongful detention in Russia has demonstrated the cruelty of Vladimir Putin’s thuggish rule,” the lawmakers said. “Evan’s unjust sentence in a sham trial is a further reminder that attacks on the free press, hostage-taking, and hostility to America have been core facets of Russian statecraft for decades.”

“Journalism is not a crime, and reporters will continue to pursue the truth and hold the Kremlin to account,” they continued. “Once again, we call on the Russian government to release Evan, along with Paul Whelan and others wrongfully detained.”