Human Rights
U.S. condemns Russia's 6-year prison sentence of American journalist Alsu Kurmasheva
Kurmasheva was secretly tried and sentenced on July 19 in a Russian court to six and a half years in prison on unfounded charges that stem from an arrest and her imprisonment more than nine months ago in October
July 26, 2024 9:39pm
Updated: July 27, 2024 8:47am
U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) CEO Amanda Bennett and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) President and CEO Stephen Capus condemned the Russian trial sentencing of American journalist Alsu Kurmasheva.
Kurmasheva was secretly tried and sentenced on July 19 in a Russian court to six and a half years in prison on unfounded charges that stem from an arrest and her imprisonment more than nine months ago in October. Her sentence follows another lengthy prison sentence recently handed down by a Russian court for Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, which the newspaper has condemned as a “sham.”
“Russia's secret trial and unjust sentencing of American journalist Alsou Kurmasheva prolongs a nightmare for an innocent family,” Bennett said in a statement released by USAGM. “Alsu's daughters and husband have not seen her for more than a year. “It is a sad day for press freedom and it is time for Alsou to be reunited with his family.”
Capus said that “this secret trial and conviction constitute a mockery of justice.,” and that “the only just outcome is for Alsu to be immediately released from prison by her Russian captors. It is time for this American citizen, our dear colleague, to be reunited with her loving family.”
Kurmasheva, 47, editor of RFE/RL's Tatar-Bashkir service, traveled to Russia in May 2023 to visit her sick mother.
Russian authorities prevented her from leaving the country in June however, and confiscated her passport, keeping her under house arrest. She was detained on October 18 in Kazan on charges of failing to register as a foreign agent, a charge she and her colleagues categorically deny.
Court spokeswoman Natalya Loseva confirmed the conviction without revealing details about the specific accusation, The Associated Press reported.
“Kurmasheva is an accomplished journalist who lives in Prague, and is a dual citizen of Russia and the U.S. She traveled to Kazan for a family emergency in May and was temporarily detained while awaiting her return flight weeks later, when authorities confiscated both her U.S. and Russian passports, preventing her from leaving the country,” according to a USAGM profile about her.
“She traveled to Russia to visit her ailing elderly mother on May 20, 2023, but was prevented from boarding her return flight on June 2 when authorities confiscated her American and Russian passports. She was subsequently handed a minor fine for failure to register her U.S. passport. Then, she was detained on a novel ‘foreign agent’ charge,” according to a report published by Radio Free Europe.
On Nov. 8, Kurmasheva’s husband Pavel Butorin, asked the United States to classify the journalist as “wrongfully detained,” according to a report published by the Committee to Protect Journalists.
“The conditions aren’t great, it’s a Russian prison after all. She’s trying to form bonds with other inmates. She is a positive person. Trying to take care of her mental health as well,” he said.
Kurmasheva’s reporting illuminated “cultural and human rights challenges faced by ethnic minority communities, particularly the Tatars, under increasing Russian pressure,” according to an update published by USAGM.
U.S. condemns Russia’s 6-year prison sentence of American journalist Alsou Kurmasheva
Kurmasheva was secretly tried and sentenced in a Russian court to six and a half years in prison on unfounded charges that have become increasingly serious since her imprisonment more than nine months ago
That report cites as an example of Kurmasheva’s work, that she led the network’s 2018 launch of its Tatar language educational project, Eyde! Online, in response to Moscow’s crackdown on minority languages.
The USAGM journalist has reported on gender issues and spearheaded news projects on domestic violence and women’s human rights. Her 2022 initiative, “Not Just A Woman’s Business,” mapped domestic violence across Russia featured women’s rights activists and revealed victims’ testimonies.
Alsu’s detention has been condemned by Austria, Canada, Czech Republic, France, Poland, and Sweden, two dozen U.S. lawmakers, as well as by the European Union, OSCE, United States and United Nations officials.
President Biden also called for Alsu’s release during the April 27, 2024 White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
Human rights and press freedom organizations have also condemned Alsu’s unjust detention and demanded she be freed. Those organizations include Amnesty International, Freedom House, Memorial, PEN America, Reporters Without Borders, the International Federation of Journalists, and the International Press Institute.
For more information, please visit the Free Alsu Kurmasheva page on RFE/RL’s website (https://pressroom.rferl.org/free-alsu-kurmasheva).
