A court docket within the Russian metropolis of Kazan has prolonged the detention of Alsu Kurmasheva, a veteran journalist of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s Tatar-Bashkir Service who has been in Russian custody since October 18, by two months till April 5.
The Sovetsky District Court docket of Kazan held the listening to on February 1 behind closed doorways. Members of the press have been solely allowed to be current in the course of the announcement of the choice, whereas others current have been utterly refused entry. Representatives from the embassies of Austria, the Czech Republic, and the Netherlands have been current on the court docket.
“Russian authorities are conducting a deplorable legal marketing campaign in opposition to the wrongfully detained Alsu Kurmasheva. Imprisoned and handled unjustly just because she is an American journalist, Alsu’s jail sentence has been prolonged once more,” appearing RFE/RL President Stephen Capus mentioned in a press release.
Kurmasheva’s lawyer argued the court docket ought to change the safety measure to accommodate arrest, however the demand was refused.
Kurmasheva, a Prague, Czech Republic-based journalist with RFE/RL who holds twin U.S. and Russian citizenships, has been held in Russian custody since October 18 on a cost of violating the so-called international agent legislation.
Regardless of just lately spending her a centesimal day in custody, Kurmasheva has but to be designated by the U.S. State Division as ”wrongfully detained” because it has different U.S. residents held in Russia.
The designation would elevate the profile of the case in opposition to Kurmasheva, a twin U.S.-Russian citizen, successfully labeling it politically motivated. Two different U.S. residents held by Russia, Wall Avenue Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, have been designated as wrongfully detained.
”The world’s journalistic, human rights organizations, and diplomatic communities are standing with Alsu at the moment. RFE/RL thanks the EU governments who despatched representatives to at the moment’s proceedings. But, Russia continues its systematic prosecution,” Capus mentioned.
”Alsu ought to be formally declared ’wrongfully detained’ by the US Division of State, simply because the Wall Avenue Journal’s Evan Gershkovich was instantly designated after his unjust arrest. Russia bears the last word accountability for Alsu’s destiny. Alsu ought to be launched instantly and allowed to return to her loving household.
It’s past time to #FreeAlsu,” he added.
Kurmasheva, who has labored for RFE/RL’s Tatar-Bashkir Service for some 25 years, left the Czech capital in mid-Might due to a household emergency in her native Tatarstan, considered one of Russia’s many republics.
She was briefly detained whereas ready for her return flight on June 2, 2023, on the Kazan airport, the place each of her passports and cellphone have been confiscated. After 5 months ready for a choice in her case, Kurmasheva was fined 10,000 rubles ($110) for failing to register her U.S. passport with Russian authorities.
Unable to depart Russia with out her journey paperwork, Kurmasheva was detained once more in October and this time handed the failure to register as a international agent cost. Two months later, she was charged with spreading falsehoods in regards to the Russian army.
Kurmasheva just lately wrote from her jail cell within the Russian metropolis of Kazan that her detention is ”changing into slowly however certainly much less bearable.”
Many critics and rights group say the so-called international agent legislation is utilized by the Kremlin to crack down on any dissent.
Moscow has been accused of detaining Individuals to make use of as bargaining chips to alternate for Russians jailed in the US.
Russian President Vladimir Putin mentioned in December that there had been ”dialogue” between U.S. and Russian officers over the discharge of Gershkovich and Whelan. The 2 Individuals are being held on espionage fees that they deny.
Kurmasheva is considered one of 4 RFE/RL journalists — Andrey Kuznechyk, Ihar Losik, and Vladyslav Yesypenko are the opposite three — presently imprisoned on fees associated to their work. Rights teams and RFE/RL have known as repeatedly for the discharge of all 4, saying they’ve been wrongly detained.
Losik is a blogger and contributor for RFE/RL’s Belarus Service who was convicted in December 2021 on a number of fees together with the “group and preparation of actions that grossly violate public order” and sentenced to fifteen years in jail.
Kuznechyk, an online editor for RFE/RL’s Belarus Service, was sentenced in June 2022 to 6 years in jail following a trial that lasted no quite a lot of hours. He was convicted of “creating or taking part in an extremist group.”
Yesypenko, a twin Ukrainian-Russian citizen who contributed to Crimea.Realities, a regional information outlet of RFE/RL’s Ukrainian Service, was sentenced in February 2022 to 6 years in jail by a Russian decide in occupied Crimea after a closed-door trial. He was convicted of “possession and transport of explosives,” a cost he steadfastly denies.