France blasts Russia's conviction of US reporter

France on Saturday condemned Russia's conviction of American reporter Evan Gershkovich to 16 years in jail for "espionage", with the foreign ministry calling it "appalling".

Paris "calls on Russian authorities to free Evan Gershkovich as well as all political prisoners, Russian or foreign," ministry spokesman Christophe Lemoine said in a statement.

France "condemns (his) appalling conviction to 16 years in a penal colony," he said, charging that "Russia's authoritarian drift continues to intensify".

Wall Street Journal correspondent Gershkovich, who pleaded not guilty, became the first journalist in Russia to be charged with spying since the Cold War when he was detained in 2023.

The Kremlin has provided no public evidence for the espionage allegations, saying only that Gershkovich was caught "red-handed" spying on a tank factory in the Urals region while working for the CIA.

He has spent almost 16 months in detention on charges the US government and his employer have said are fabricated.

But Gershkovich's trial itself was wrapped up with rare speed, having started only in late June.

One glimmer of hope around his conviction is that Russia has previously said its policy is not to trade people before they have been convicted.

That suggests Friday's sentence could pave the way for the 32-year-old journalist to be swapped in a deal with Washington, though the Kremlin remains tight-lipped.