A Russian-American journalist, Alsu Kurmasheva, has been ordered to remain in custody for an additional two months by a Russian court. The court ruling comes as she awaits trial on charges of failing to register as a foreign agent. Kurmasheva, who works as an editor for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's Tatar-Bashkir service, was arrested on October 18 for allegedly not registering as a foreign agent while gathering information about the Russian military.
Kurmasheva, who holds both U.S. and Russian citizenship and currently resides in Prague with her husband and two daughters, could potentially face up to five years in prison if convicted. Despite appeals from her lawyer to place her under house arrest, the court in Tatarstan rejected these requests.
The decision to extend Kurmasheva's detention until April 5 has sparked outrage from her employer, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL). The organization has demanded her immediate release and expressed its strong dissatisfaction with the court ruling. RFE/RL President Stephen Capus condemned the Russian authorities' actions, stating that Kurmasheva is being imprisoned and treated unjustly solely because of her American citizenship and occupation as a journalist.
The detention of Kurmasheva is part of a broader crackdown by Russian authorities on critics of the Kremlin and independent journalists. This intensified crackdown began after Russian President Vladimir Putin sent troops to Ukraine in February 2022. The authorities have utilized legislation that effectively criminalizes any public expression that deviates from the Kremlin's official line on the conflict.
Kurmasheva is the second U.S. journalist to be detained in Russia last year, following the arrest of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich on espionage charges in March. Gershkovich remains in custody.
The sequence of events leading to Kurmasheva's detention began on June 2 when she was stopped at Kazan International Airport. She had travelled to Russia the previous month to visit her ailing elderly mother. At the airport, her U.S. and Russian passports were confiscated, and she was fined for failing to register her U.S. passport. While waiting for the return of her passports, Kurmasheva was arrested on new charges in October, leading to her continued detention.
RFE/RL had previously been instructed by Russian authorities in 2017 to register as a foreign agent. However, the organization has challenged the use of foreign agent laws by Moscow in the European Court of Human Rights. As a result, RFE/RL has faced significant fines imposed by Russia, amounting to millions of dollars.
The case of Alsu Kurmasheva highlights the ongoing challenges faced by journalists operating in Russia and raises concerns about freedom of the press and the treatment of foreign journalists within the country. As the trial proceeds, attention will be focused on the outcome and its implications for media freedom in Russia.
