On Friday, Mr. Gershkovich was sentenced to 16 years in prison on espionage charges in a Russian court. The reporter was arrested in Russia in 2023 and has been held there since, despite calls for his release.
That same day, Ms. Kurmasheva received a six-and-a-half-year prison sentence for “spreading fake news about the Russian military.” She was arbitrarily detained in Russia since October 18.
Shocking verdicts
UN experts say they are shocked by journalists being convicted of “crimes they did not commit”. They also condemn the judicial processes that lead to the convictions.
“The hasty and secret nature of their trials — lasting three and two days respectively, and held behind closed doors — was Another protest over sham trials and fabricated convictions of reporters just doing their jobs“, experts said.
In the case of Mr. Gershkovich, the Special Rapporteurs noted that the closed-door trial demonstrated that the court’s verdict was politically motivated to punish the journalist for his reporting on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“We are concerned about Russia’s increasing use of national security laws to unjustifiably restrict freedom of expression, following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, and to de facto criminalise any independent journalism covering the war,” they said.
Call for abolition
In addition to Mr. Gershkocivh and Ms. Kurmasheva, there are currently some 33 journalists detained in Russia, reflecting a dangerous trend of increased “repression” of independent media and opposition voices since the full-scale invasion began.
Experts call for the “immediate and unconditional release” of all journalists in Russia detained for doing their jobs.
They also called on the Russian government to “repeal all laws that excessively restrict freedom of speech, such as ‘spreading fake news about the Russian military’ and ‘discrediting the Russian military’.”
Furthermore, experts called on Russia to amend its criminal code to prevent the abuse of national security laws to restrict freedom of speech, especially for journalists who are reporting truthfully on the war in Ukraine.
Special Rapporteurs appointed by the United Nations Dong Nhan Quy Association Monitor and report on country-specific situations or topical issues anywhere in the world.
They are not employees of the United Nations and are independent of any government or organization. They serve in their personal capacity and receive no salary for their work.
