A court in Russia convicted Russian American journalist Alsu Kurmasheva of reporting false information about the country's military and sentenced her to 6½ years in prison on Friday - the same day Wall Street Journal correspondent Evan Gershkovich was sentenced to 16 years on espionage charges, marking a new level of persecution of foreign press by the Kremlin.
Kurmasheva was convicted under Russia's wartime fake-news law, which bans the broadcasting or posting of any information about the war in Ukraine other than official propaganda. The law effectively bars reporting on Russian atrocities, military casualties, or criticism of the war.
Gershkovich, a U.S. citizen accredited as a journalist in Russia, was convicted of spying in a trial described as a sham. Despite discussions about a possible prisoner exchange, a trade would only be considered after the trial's conclusion.
#persecution-of-journalists #foreign-press #russia-ukraine-conflict #political-tensions #media-freedom
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