Explained: Russia detains another American journalist. Here’s what we know

Accusations against Kurmasheva

The Russian-American journalist was detained on Wednesday (Oct 18) after she allegedly failed to register as a “foreign agent” during a visit to Russia.

RFE/RL is funded by the US Congress and is designated by Moscow as a “foreign agent”. Moscow’s foreign agent law allows Russian authorities to label organisations and people that receive foreign funding as “foreign agents”.

Notably, the term that carries Cold War connotations of espionage, is not just limited to organisations, and can be applied tojournalists, rights activists and even entertainers who can be asked to register with the justice ministry.

If found guilty, Kurmasheva faces up to five years in prison. However, her lawyer Edgar Matevosyan told Reuters that she was pleading not guilty.

What happened in the court?

Image shows RFE/RLjournalist Alsu Kurmasheva during a court hearing in Kazan, Russia on October 20, 2023.

The court said that the “period of Kurmasheva’s detention in custody was extended for 72 hours.”

Reuters, citing court documents, said Kurmasheva was fined $103 (10,000 roubles) on October 11 after she failed to register her US passport with Russian authorities and was charged under the foreign agentlaw a week later.

About her case

Kurmasheva, who holds both American and Russian passports, is an editor with the US Congress-funded outlet’s Tatar-Bashkir service, as per her employer RFE/RL, and lives in Prague, Czech Republic.

The Russian-American journalist had entered Russia on May 20 following a family emergency, according to the Prague-based media outlet. However, while she was waiting for her return flight on June 2, she was temporarily detained at the Kazan airport.

Subsequently, her passports were confiscated, and she was fined for failing to register her US passport, according to RFE/RL. However, when she was waiting for the return of her passports, Kurmasheva was detained again and charged with failing to register as a foreign agent.

“Alsu is a highly respected colleague, devoted wife, and dedicated mother to two children,” RFE/RL acting President Jeffrey Gedmin said in a statement. He added, “She needs to be released so she can return to her family immediately.”

According to the media outlet, Kurmasheva lives in Prague with her husband and children. Gedmin also expressed concerns about the Russian court’s decision on Friday to prolong Kurmasheva’s detention and said “journalism is not a crime.”

Kurmasheva has covered ethnic minorities in Tatarstan and Bashkortostan, said RFE/RFL, especially on efforts to preserve the Tatar language, even as Russian authorities have “exerted increased pressure on Tatars in recent years.”

RFE/RL operations in Russia

The RFE/RL has also criticised Russia’s foreign agent law and said that it “amounts to political censorship”.

They allege that the law is “meant to prevent journalists from performing their professional duties” and are challenging officials’ actions against Kurmasheva in Russian courts as well as the European Court of Human Rights.

According to the Prague-based media outlet, over 30 RFE/RL employees have been listed as “foreign agents” by the Russian justice ministry.

Earlier this year, a Moscow court also declared bankruptcy of RFE/RL’s operations in Russia after they refused to pay “multiple fines” which amounted to nearly $14 million (over one billion roubles) for “noncompliance with the law.”

“Alsu was detained simply because she is an employee of Radio Liberty. In fact, now any independent journalist in Russia risks the same thing,” one of Kurmasheva’s colleagues said, on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal, as quoted by Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).

However, the local Tatar-Inform news agency has alleged that Kurmasheva’s detention may be linked to the information she received about university teachers being mobilised to fight in Ukraine. The news agency quoted investigators as saying she had been gathering information on other military activities as well.

Russia and the US respond

Notably, Kurmasheva’s detention comes seven months after that of Gershkovich. “This appears to be another case of the Russian government harassing U.S. citizens,” State Department spokesperson Matt Miller told reporters on Thursday (Oct 19).

However, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has since denied the accusations saying, “There is no campaign in Russia to persecute US citizens. There are US citizens who break the law, and appropriate measures are taken against them.”

Kurmasheva’s detention sparks criticism

The Russian-American journalist’s detention has since sparked criticism from various international organisations including the United Nations human rights office which took to social media and said it was “concerned” by Kurmasheva’s arrest.

“Journalists must be left to do their vital work free from pressure, intimidation and reprisals,” said the OHCHR.

The CPJ also released a statement that the organisation is “deeply concerned” about Kurmasheva’s detention and called on the Russian authorities to immediately release her and “drop all charges against her.”

“Journalism is not a crime and Kurmasheva’s detention is yet more proof that Russia is determined to stifle independent reporting,” said Gulnoza Said, CPJ’s Europe and Central Asia program coordinator.

(With inputs from agencies)

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