Moscow jails Russian-American journalist Kurmasheva for over six years

A Russian court has sentenced Alsu Kurmasheva, a Russian-American journalist for U.S.-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), to 6-1/2 years in prison for spreading false information about the Russian army, the court revealed on Monday.

A spokesperson for the court in the southern city of Kazan said Kurmasheva had been sentenced on Friday following two days of court proceedings. Her lawyer did not immediately reply to a Reuters question about whether she would appeal and the U.S. embassy did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

Friday was also the day a separate court in Yekaterinburg sentenced another U.S. citizen, Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, to 16 years in prison for espionage, following a three-day trial held behind closed doors. His newspaper and the United States have called the trial a sham, and Washington says it is working to secure his release.