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3mo ago

Harvard Scientist Out on Bail in Frog Embryo Smuggling Case

Her release follows a ruling that her detention was unlawful ahead of a probable cause hearing scheduled for June 18.

Harvard University researcher Kseniia Petrova, 30, departs the John Joseph Moakley United States Courthouse after being released on bail from federal custody on June 12, 2025, in Boston.
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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
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Overview

  • Magistrate Judge Judith Dein granted bail on June 12 under conditions including travel limits and surrender of her passport.
  • Petrova must return to Boston federal court on June 18 for a probable cause hearing on charges that she failed to declare frog embryos brought from France.
  • A federal judge in Vermont ruled in late May that her immigration detention was unlawful and that she posed no danger, leading to her release from ICE custody.
  • Her revoked student visa and the prospect of deportation to Russia have prompted human rights concerns given her anti-war activism and fear of persecution.
  • Colleagues at Harvard and international institutions have highlighted the disruption to her cancer research and offered new positions, underscoring the impact of strict immigration enforcement on scientific work.