When Evan Gershkovich was arrested in March 2023, there was no doubt in anyone’s mind that the unfortunate journalist was being held as a political prisoner. After all, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin was able to get Viktor Bout, known as “The Merchant of Death,” for a mere WNBA star in a prisoner swap.

Last week, Gershkovich was brought before a Russian judge in secret and was sentenced to 16 years in a Russian penal colony, ostensibly for the crime of committing espionage against a Russian company.

It was a sham of a trial by all accounts. There were three days of hearings, with no evidence produced by the Russians to prove that Gershkovich was in Russia to do anything other than report for The Wall Street Journal (WSJ). Gershkovich was not allowed to mount a proper defense, nor would it have made much of a difference if he had. It is exceedingly rare for an espionage prisoner to be given any sort of due process by the Russian government.

Here is what WSJ reports about this move:

The proceedings against Gershkovich were accelerated as the court moved up hearing dates by nearly a month. Russian officials, from President Vladimir Putin on down, have signaled an interest in swapping Gershkovich for Russians held in the West.

Asked on Friday about a possible exchange of Gershkovich, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, “I’m leaving that question without an answer,” according to Russian state media. “There is a charge of espionage, so this is a very, very sensitive area.”

The timing also seems rather suspicious. Gershkovich was sentenced while the U.S. is in political turmoil. Former President Donald Trump, the nominee for the Republican Party, was almost assassinated; the sitting president is non compos mentis and has stepped down from the 2024 race; and the vice president is an incompetent radical.

With the U.S. floating along, and with the American people more and more aware that no one is steering the ship, it is the perfect time for our international foes to be making aggressive moves, particularly if it’s after Biden’s “working window.”

WSJ editor in chief Emma Tucker and WSJ publisher Almar Latour released a joint statement on Gershkovich’s sentencing, saying: “This disgraceful, sham conviction comes after Evan has spent 478 days in prison, wrongfully detained, away from his family and friends, prevented from reporting, all for doing his job as a journalist. We will continue to do everything possible to press for Evan’s release and to support his family. Journalism is not a crime, and we will not rest until he’s released. This must end now.”

President Biden also had some words for the political prisoner’s plight, saying: “As I have long said and as the U.N. also concluded, there is no question that Russia is wrongfully detaining Evan. Evan has endured his ordeal with remarkable strength. We will not cease in our efforts to bring him home.”

Let’s hope the Biden administration is successful in securing Gershkovich’s release. Let’s also hope that the next president of the United States engenders such respect that thugs like Putin don’t dare pull a stunt like this.