Alsu Kurmasheva
Born1977 (alleged)
Tatarstan (alleged)
NationalityRussian-American
OccupationJournalist
Known forDetainment in Russia

Alsu Kurmasheva is a Prague-based Russian-American journalist with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's Tatar-Bashkir Service.[1][2][3] Kurmasheva was arrested in Kazan, Russia on October 18, 2023 and charged with failure to register as a foreign agent.[4] The charge carries a potential sentence of five years in prison.[2]

Detainment

Kurmasheva entered Russia on May 20, 2023 to deal with a family emergency, according to RFE/RL. She was temporarily detained while waiting for her return flight on June 2, 2023 at Kazan airport and authorities confiscated Kurmasheva’ s passports, preventing her from leaving the country.[5] Court documents state she was fined 10,000 rubles for failing to register her American passport on October 11, 2023.[6]

Kurmasheva was detained again on October 18, 2023 and charged with failure to register as a foreign agent, punishable by up to five years in prison.[7] Specifically, the charges against Kurmasheva allege that she “deliberately conducted a targeted collection of military information about Russian activities via the internet to transmit information to foreign sources."[4] Her lawyer, Edgar Matevosyan, said she was pleading not guilty.[8] On October 20, 2023, Russian authorities extended Kurmasheva's detention by three days.[9] On October 23, 2023, a district court in Kazan rejected Kurmasheva's request for pretrial measures avoiding incarceration, instead assigning her to a detention center until December 5, 2023.[10]

Kurnasheva's detainment garnered significant criticism, particularly from Western governments and international human rights and media freedom organizations. Dmitri Kozelev, a prominent Russian journalist, characterized her arrest as "Another hostage has been taken."[11] The Committee to Protect Journalists demanded Russia release Kurmasheva, expressing "deep concern" with her detention and stating "Journalism is not a crime."[12] The U.S. State Department claimed Kurmasheva's detention was a case of Russian harassment of American citizens. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied that Russia was harassing Americans. According to the Associated Press, analysts says Russia may be using jailed Americans as bargaining chips after the increase of Russian-American tensions following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. [13]

Personal life

Kurmasheva holds both U.S. and Russian citizenship.[2][14] She is married and has 2 children.[15]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Knight, Mariya (October 19, 2023). "US citizen working as journalist detained in Russia". CNN.
  2. 1 2 3 Vock, Ido (October 19, 2023). "Russian-American journalist Alsu Kurmasheva detained in Kazan". BBC News.
  3. ↑ Talmazan, Yuliya (October 19, 2023). "American journalist detained and charged in Russia". NBC Mews. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
  4. 1 2 Dixon, Robyn (October 19, 2023). "Russia detains radio journalist accused of being 'foreign agent'". Washington Post.
  5. ↑ "RFE/RL Condemns Detention of Journalist Alsu Kurmasheva in Russia". Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty. 2023-10-18. Retrieved 2023-10-24.
  6. ↑ "Russian court extends custody of US journalist in 'foreign agent' case". Reuters. 2023-10-20. Retrieved 2023-10-24.
  7. ↑ "Russian court extends custody of US journalist in 'foreign agent' case". Reuters. October 20, 2023. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
  8. ↑ "Russian court extends custody of US journalist in 'foreign agent' case". Reuters. October 20, 2023. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
  9. ↑ "Russia extends detention of a US journalist detained for failing to register as a foreign agent". Associated Press. October 20, 2023. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
  10. ↑ Cann, Christopher (23 October 2023). "US journalist denied release, faces lengthy sentence in Russia on foreign agent charges". USA Today. Gannett Co., Inc. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
  11. ↑ Ivan Nechepurenko (19 October 2023). "Russia Detains a U.S. Journalist". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Wikidata Q123128637. Retrieved 2023-10-19.
  12. ↑ "Russian authorities detain RFE/RL journalist Alsu Kurmasheva". Committee to Protect Journalists. Committee to Protect Journalists. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
  13. ↑ "Russia extends detention of a US journalist detained for failing to register as a foreign agent". Associated Press. 20 October 2023. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
  14. ↑ Faulconbridge, Guy (October 19, 2023). "Russia detains Radio Free Europe journalist with dual U.S. and Russian citizenship". Reuters.
  15. ↑ "RFE/RL Condemns Detention of Journalist Alsu Kurmasheva in Russia". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. October 18, 2023.
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