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Harvard Scientist Kseniia Petrova to Face Detention Hearing on Frog Embryo Smuggling Charge

Her detention continues under U.S. Marshals despite a federal judge’s finding that her February arrest was unlawful

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Kseniia Petrova, 31, a Russian-born scientist and research associate at Harvard University, poses for a jail booking photograph at the Ouachita Correctional Center in Richwood, Louisiana, U.S. May 14, 2025. Ouachita Parish Sheriff's Office/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo

Overview

  • On June 12, Petrova is scheduled for a Massachusetts federal hearing to challenge her continued detention pending trial
  • Authorities allege she failed to declare nonhazardous frog embryo samples at Boston Logan International Airport after returning from France
  • In May, a Vermont judge ruled immigration officers acted unlawfully and deemed the samples safe, ordering her release from ICE custody
  • Despite the ruling, Petrova remains held by U.S. Marshals after her visa was revoked and prosecutors formally charged her with smuggling
  • Harvard colleagues have testified to the importance of her cancer and aging research as she seeks asylum over anti-war activism fears