Russian-American Journalist Detained in Russia for Almost a Month

Alsu Kurmasheva, an editor for Radio Free Europe, faces charges of failing to register as a 'foreign agent' and could be sentenced to up to five years in prison.

• Alsu Kurmasheva, a Russian-American journalist and editor for Radio Free Europe, has been detained in Russia since October 18, 2023, on charges of failing to register as a 'foreign agent'.
• Kurmasheva's detention began when she traveled to Russia's Tatarstan to visit her ailing mother and was temporarily detained at Kazan International Airport for failing to register her U.S. passport with Russian authorities.
• The state-run news website Tatar-Inform alleges that Kurmasheva was collecting information on Russian military activities to transmit to foreign sources.
• The Committee to Protect Journalists has labeled the charges against Kurmasheva as 'spurious', arguing that her detention is further evidence of Russia's determination to stifle independent reporting.
• Kurmasheva's husband, Pavel Butorin, believes she was imprisoned due to her work as a journalist with Radio Free Europe and her American citizenship, and has appealed for her immediate release.

3 Articles

Boston Globe Washington Post Associated Press