Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich was sentenced on Friday to 16 years in prison, according to Russian state media.
Gershkovich was sentenced in a closed-door trial in Russia’s city of Yekaterinburg in a case that the U.S., press freedom groups and his employer have all called a sham trial with fabricated charges.
Earlier on Friday, Gershkovich had pleaded not guilty to espionage charges. Russian prosecutors had originally requested an 18-year sentence for the reporter, Russian state-run media reported.
Developing