Russia isn’t prosecuting U.S. journalists. It’s taking them hostage.

The fact Russia tried journalists Evan Gershkovich and Alsu Kurmasheva in secret says a lot about the charges against them and about the system that staged these proceedings. Closing the trial, in violation of basic international human rights standards, reflects the reality that the case against these two U.S. citizens is trumped-up and could not withstand even manipulated and limited public exposure, which is the only kind the Kremlin-friendly news media would have afforded.

The regime of President Vladimir Putin convicted Mr. Gershkovich, who is a reporter for the Wall Street Journal, of espionage. A court in Yekaterinburg sentenced him to 16 years in prison. On the same day Mr. Gershkovich received his verdict, July 19, a court in Kazan found Ms. Kurmasheva, an editor for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, guilty of insulting the Russian army. Her sentence, which wasn’t disclosed until Monday: six and a half years.

The State Department designated Mr. Gershkovich and Mr. Whelan as wrongfully detained, a status that elevates their cases as a matter of official U.S. interest. It should do the same for Ms. Kurmasheva — and for Post Opinions contributor and Russian opposition politician Vladimir Kara-Murza. The latter, though a Russian citizen, is a U.S. legal permanent resident. He is serving 25 years for “treason” — speaking out against Mr. Putin’s war.

All of the above should be released immediately. Journalism — asking questions, gathering facts, holding officials to account — is essential democratic work, not a crime