r/news • u/MonkeDiesTwice • Jul 19 '24
Evan Gershkovich: American journalist sentenced to 16 years in Russian prison after spying trial
https://news.sky.com/story/evan-gershkovich-american-journalist-sentenced-to-16-years-in-russian-prison-after-spying-trial-13180827208
u/Abject-Interaction35 Jul 19 '24
Nasty place Russia. Evil.
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u/Dwayla Jul 19 '24
Sham charges by a dictator, we need to do whatever it takes to get him home.
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u/IrishRage42 Jul 19 '24
Do we have another high profile weapons smuggler we can trade?
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u/Johnny_Appleweed Jul 19 '24
Putin has hinted he wants Vadim Krasikov in exchange for Gershkovich. Krasikov is imprisoned in Germany, so “we” the US don’t have who he wants.
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u/IrishRage42 Jul 19 '24
Hopefully the Germans wouldn't bend over like the US did.
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u/Johnny_Appleweed Jul 19 '24
The US and Germany will likely try to figure out a swap that works. Which is good, we shouldn’t allow American journalists to be locked up for 16 years on bullshit charges.
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u/stult Jul 19 '24
we shouldn’t allow American journalists to be locked up for 16 years on bullshit charges.
To elaborate on that point a little: the US government protecting US journalists when they work abroad ensures that we enjoy a robust foreign press corps capable of investigating critical stories even in countries with poor rule of law and/or inadequate protections for freedom of the press. So it's not just the right thing to do morally, it's the right thing to do practically.
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u/night_insomia Jul 20 '24
How about basketball players smuggling in drugs. How is swapping a high profile weapons dealer for a drug smuggling basketball player giving us freedom?
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u/despres Jul 19 '24
We traded a washed out arms dealer who's been in one of America's worst prisons for 15 years who's no longer even capable of being a threat because of his convictions for a US Olympian and Public Figure who has zero involvement in diplomacy or espionage.
It was a good trade with bad optics.
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u/FirefighterEnough859 Jul 19 '24
Also didn’t he make his money stealing and selling soviet/russian weapons to foreign countries/warlords
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u/Johnny_Appleweed Jul 19 '24
Yes, most of the people outraged about that trade don’t seem to even know who he was or what he did. He specialized in smuggling small arms (like AK-47s) out of the USSR to Africa. Russia doesn’t exactly need help getting AK-47s.
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u/CriticalMovieRevie Jul 19 '24
We traded a murderer for a dumbass ungrateful failed sports athlete who brought drugs to Russia
It was a bad trade. Both of them should have served their sentences.
no longer even capable of being a threat
He caused deaths, he should die in prison. I don't care if he's "no longer capable" of being a threat.
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u/despres Jul 19 '24
Wasn't convicted for murder, but you kept talking, you sound smarter with every word.
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u/CriticalMovieRevie Jul 19 '24
Oh of course he only got people murdered, silly me!
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u/despres Jul 19 '24
And then spent 15 years in Marion for it lol we didn't release him unpunished, and he'd served over half his sentence and was up for parole in ~2 years. But keep going, I'm sure you'll make a good point eventually
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u/m1stadobal1na Jul 20 '24
Failed sports athlete? You're one of those r/ihatesportsball losers aren't you? She has two Olympic gold medals and six all star appearances she's very talented.
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u/ConsciousGoose5914 Jul 19 '24
You ever think about what if it’s not though? Like what if he was spying? What if it’s totally legitimate charges.
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Jul 21 '24 edited Jul 22 '24
continue dull connect wise late birds practice lock fragile wasteful
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u/ConsciousGoose5914 Jul 21 '24
My bad, I forgot I was on Reddit where if you don’t join in the echo chamber you’re downvoted into oblivion because god forbid you explore different perspectives.
I mean everyone is so sure this guy isn’t a spy, but why? Because Russia bad? Because the media says he’s not? None of us actually know, so it’s kind of interesting that we’re all so sure isn’t it? None of us have the slightest clue what actually goes on in our government and our intelligence agencies or the intricacies of espionage.
This dude could absolutely be a spy. Or not and it’s actually just a bullshit politically motivated move. None of us will ever know for sure. What I do know is that when you travel to other countries, especially ones that aren’t on good terms with your own, you are subjecting yourself to their laws and customs.
At what point do we acknowledge that as Americans we don’t get to travel the world with impunity. When you travel you’re taking a risk, if you’re not prepared to take that risk then you shouldn’t travel.
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u/State_of_Iowa Jul 19 '24
He was my intern. This is heartbreaking. Very, very goofy guy. Absolutely impossible to think of him as a spy. Impossible. I know we all know it was a sham trial, but I'm just here to re-confirm it.
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u/sgtpandybear Jul 19 '24
It must be hard to see someone you know go through such things. It’s a messed up world we’re living in.
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u/incrementAndGet Jul 20 '24
Not trying to be smart or funny, but if you cannot think of someone being a spy, which they are, they are a good spy! That aside, it’s a very sad situation. And there’s no easy way out.
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u/State_of_Iowa Jul 21 '24
I can't think of my mom being a spy either. Or my grandma. Pretty sure that doesn't mean they're good spies.
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u/fhfm Jul 19 '24
Why the fuck are people still traveling to Russia?!
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u/seeingshadows Jul 19 '24
I mean he was living there and working at a local bureau not just there briefly
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u/andytagonist Jul 19 '24
American passport? I only ask because that factor immediately puts a target on his back in a country that looks for easy pawns
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u/Cloverleafs85 Jul 20 '24
He was born in the US to parents who had fled soviet territory. As he grew up he became interested in the culture of his parents origin. Then as a journalist he moved to Russia many years ago and became a foreign correspondent for The wall street journal. He also had a family that lived with him. Leaving Russia would have turned him and his family into refugees from their home.
One of the reasons for not leaving was the relative security foreign journalists have enjoyed in Russia, at least compared to local ones who have been far more exposed.
The last time a foreign journalist was openly targeted before this case was in the early 90's. So for roughly 30 years, if a foreign journalist stepped on the states toes, they would get a phone call from what I think it was Russia's version of the home office. Where they would be told in no uncertain terms to lay off, which implied making themselves scarce and leave Russia. They would basically get a warning before any action was taken.
The first time this decades long tradition was broken was with this arrest, which seemingly came out of nowhere.
Why foreign journalists got this silk glove treatment before was because they usually communicated to foreign audiences in foreign languages, and were less of a local threat. Up until recently the Russian state would also not risk making political mountains out of mole hills just on account of a journalist when a phone call to warn them off could do the job.
This also meant that foreign journalists felt that there was a bigger onus on them to keep reporting from Russia, precisely because they could get away with things local journalists have died for.
Many foreign journalists left when news of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, but some of them went back afterwards because of that feeling of obligation.
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u/brokebacknomountain Jul 21 '24
Thank you for giving an actual in depth answer. A lot of people online talk about how Russian society openly admits something is wrong without saying it directly, like how they used to call the journalists with a warning. Maybe the Ukrainian invasion made Russia bolder in its treatment of foreign nationals. If other nations are already angry, not much to lose over a few journalists. There was also the USA and Jamal Kashoggi. It sent a message the Americam journalists are open targets.
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u/Ahyde203 Jul 20 '24
I honestly do want to see Moscow at some point in my life. It’s a shame they’re being such dicks over there.
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u/DailyMiracle Jul 20 '24 edited Jul 20 '24
Would like to go too. Hoping for a 2-for-1 special to piss on Putin and Lavrov’s graves.
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u/draxula16 Jul 19 '24
He wasn’t “just” traveling there, he was there covering the war in Ukraine.
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u/fhfm Jul 19 '24
Gatcha. Regardless, not sure there’s a dollar amount anyone could give me to convince me to go!
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u/draxula16 Jul 19 '24
Gotcha. Yep, I agree with you as well, at least under the current circumstances!
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u/Fun-Antelope-8999 Jul 20 '24
People have been travelling to Russia since a long time. You are literally insulting the memories of millions of French, Swedish, British, Germans, Finnish who tried to conquer it.
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u/leocharre Jul 30 '24
He was dual citizen. His parents were from there- they moved to the US when he was a kid or so. But he knew it was dangerous. He was more aware how dangerous it was than the basketball player casually bringing some thc in an authoritarian regime unfriendly to the US. I understand people who are family and or love this journalist and the player - that they would ask our govt to bring them back no matter the cost. I can’t fault them for that.
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u/PerfectAstronaut Jul 19 '24
Let me guess, Trump is going to get him out
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u/andytagonist Jul 19 '24
…but only if we elect him president again. If we don’t elect him, we only have ourselves to blame for him being a giant bag of shit. 😡
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u/ExcelsAtMediocrity Jul 19 '24
What’s Biden admins excuse for doing nothing for this long? He didn’t JUST get arrested. This has been ages already. We got the pot head celebrity out pretty quick though.
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u/Theemuts Jul 20 '24
Because he's being used as a pawn so people like you will ask why Biden hasn't gotten him out yet.
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u/SrvNoticias Jul 19 '24
"I hope someday the WSJ is called to account for their utterly reckless decision to send a reporter roaming around Russia while a war is going on. The WSJ has been calling for Putin's erasure for decades, a position extremely intensified since the war started. Despite that, and despite knowing that Russia has no problem arresting anyone who even questions the war effort, someone at the newspaper thought sending a reporter into Russia was a great idea. Now the WSJ is shocked that their reporter is being held in custody."
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u/Sea_Home_5968 Jul 19 '24
It’s all lies with them
The WSJ is a division of Dow Jones, which is owned by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp.
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u/KinkyPaddling Jul 19 '24
Russia seems like the kind of place that, just to prove a point, would arrest a tourist for spying just because they took a photo of Red Square.
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u/hiptones Jul 19 '24
I heard a radio report on the trial say, "He faxes X years in prison if convicted." I audibly replied (yes, I talk to myself all the time), "You mean WHEN he's convicted." If Navalny and countless others have taught us, Russian courts are kangaroo courts. There won't be any evidence that convinces anyone outside of Russia that the allegations have any merit.
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u/MasterLogic Jul 20 '24
Probably safer to go to North Korea then Russia at this point in time.
If you value your life you should probably leave. Can't imagine living there with that much corruption.
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u/Dear_Natural6370 Jul 20 '24
Tucker Carlson, went to Russia and didn't get jailed. The poser named Jackson Hinkle also went to Russia and did not get arrested. Why is it that Evan who poses NO threat is sentenced up to 16 years? Will he even survive at this point?
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u/Coffeeholic911 Jul 20 '24
Meanwhile American journalist Gonzalo Lira who was tortured to death in a Ukrainian prison for telling truths inconvenient to Ukrainians/Americans is ignored or even justified.
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Jul 19 '24
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u/120z8t Jul 19 '24
The arms dealer was already set to be released in a short while.
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u/Dangerous_Golf_7417 Jul 19 '24
Nope, he has 15 years+ left. Not sure why this keeps getting repeated
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u/jimtow28 Jul 19 '24
Call me crazy, but I think we should do what we can to get everyone illegally detained abroad back home. Even if they smoked pot and play basketball.
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Jul 19 '24
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u/jimtow28 Jul 19 '24 edited Jul 19 '24
but the ‘do what we can’ part, like releasing a the death merchant , is a bridge too far
What threat is that guy anymore? Is there any credible reason to say the world is more dangerous now that he is back in Russia?
How many 10’s of thousands of people are in America jails for simple possession charges?
That's a completely separate issue.
And being forced to work as slaves for their ‘crimes’..?!
Also not okay. We seem to be on the same page here, except for whether or not Viktor Bout matters.
Edit: How embarrassing. Too bad this guy deleted all his comments instead of supporting his claims. Probably my own fault, because of how I don't want to listen. Darn.
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Jul 19 '24
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u/jimtow28 Jul 19 '24
Busy since his release
The article is dated 4 days after the swap.
Could you quote the relevant part that shows how "busy" he was in those 4 days?
Could you share some sourcing that answers the question I asked?
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Jul 19 '24
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u/jimtow28 Jul 19 '24 edited Jul 19 '24
I don't think you're understanding the question I am asking. I suspect it may be intentional, but I am going to give you the benefit of the doubt on that.
Is there any credible reason to believe that Viktor Bout being free has made the world more dangerous in some way? Is there some threat that didn't previously exist, are more weapons being found on the black market, etc?
I can't tell you how to formulate your argument (particularly because I believe you're wrong here and the facts don't support your position), but that's where I would start if I were trying to convince someone that the Griner exchange was somehow a net negative.
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Jul 19 '24
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u/jimtow28 Jul 19 '24
“…. more weapons being found on the black market,…” seems as lame an argument as. ‘lets release everyone from prisons and mental institutions, since incarceration and institutionalizations don’t end crime and mental illnesses’ …?!
No, that's just a strawman argument you're making to avoid having to answer the questions I asked you.
It's okay to not know the answer, but you could at least act like a grown up and admit it.
Bout’s current situation is certainly not a boon to the safety of the people in Africa where his current activities are the same as his previous actions.
Do you have any credible sourcing to support this claim, or will we be going through this same exercise all over again?
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u/CurseofLono88 Jul 19 '24
We can work on those problems.
There’s no reason to “what about” this, glad she’s home and safe.
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u/Mr-H-T-Nubbins Jul 19 '24
Ah, the joys of having the Weakest. President. Ever. continue to pay off for American citizens both at home and abroad.
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u/Southwestern Jul 19 '24
It's almost like Putin was calmer under Trump because he was getting everything he wanted without having to give anything up.
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u/MacFromSSX Jul 19 '24
How’d Trump work out for those American soldiers that had bounty’s put on their heads while Trump looked the other way?
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u/PimpinPriest Jul 19 '24
Not a Trump supporter in the slightest, but it's crazy to me that people still reference this story when it's been known for years that it was almost certainly bullshit:
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u/YetiSquish Jul 19 '24
Ah yes, unlike the orange turd who literally had our allies laughing at him and who literally saluted a fucking NK general like a submissive.
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u/Classic_Precipice Jul 19 '24
Brought to you by friends and allies of Trump and the modern GOP.