International Courant
The Russian American is accused of failing to register as a ‘overseas agent’ and of spreading ‘false data’.
A Russian courtroom has prolonged the pre-trial detention of journalist Alsu Kurmasheva till June 5, her employer Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) say.
The Prague-based editor, 47, was arrested final 12 months within the metropolis of Kazan in southwestern Russia for failing to register as a “overseas agent” and for spreading “false data” underneath censorship legal guidelines enacted after the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
When Kurmasheva appeared in courtroom in Kazan on Monday, she smiled and complained in regards to the poor situation of the cell the place she was being held, an Agence France-Presse reporter mentioned.
Kurmasheva, who holds each a U.S. and Russian passport, entered Russia in Could to cope with a household emergency. She was initially held at an airport on June 2 whereas awaiting her return flight, and her passports have been confiscated.
She was fined 10,000 rubles ($108) in October for failing to register her U.S. passport with Russian authorities, in response to courtroom paperwork.
Her employer, RFE/RL, is funded by the US Congress and has been designated a overseas agent by Russia, a cost imposed on the grounds that the nation receives overseas funding for actions deemed political.
In 2022, she edited a ebook titled Saying No to Warfare, a group of interviews and tales from Russians against Moscow’s marketing campaign in opposition to Ukraine.
In December, a state-affiliated media outlet reported that the ebook led Russian investigators to open a brand new case in opposition to Kurmasheva, accusing her of spreading false details about the Russian navy.
The cost of failing to register as a overseas agent carries a most sentence of 5 years in jail, whereas the cost of spreading false data carries a most sentence of 15 years.
‘Unfounded’ accusations
RFE/RL described her captivity as “scandalous” and mentioned she has been locked up “just because she has a US passport”.
“The costs in opposition to Alsu are baseless. It isn’t a authorized course of. It’s a political ploy, and Alsu and her household are unjustly paying a horrible value,” RFE/RL head Stephen Capus mentioned Monday.
“Russia should put an finish to this sham and launch Alsu instantly and with out situations,” he added.
Rights teams have accused Russia of utilizing oppressive laws to focus on Kremlin critics and impartial journalists.
Kurmasheva is the second American journalist arrested in Russia because the begin of Moscow’s struggle in Ukraine.
Wall Avenue Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich has spent greater than a 12 months in jail in Moscow on espionage expenses that carry a most sentence of 20 years.
He has denied the allegations.
Gershkovich and Paul Whelan, an American who was convicted of espionage in 2020 and imprisoned in Russia for 16 years, have been labeled “wrongfully detained” by the US authorities.
The appointment signifies that Washington views the fees in opposition to them as bogus and is dedicated to their launch.
The U.S. State Division mentioned final 12 months that Kurmasheva’s arrest “seems to be yet one more occasion of the Russian authorities harassing Americans,” and her supporters have additionally lobbied Washington for “wrongfully detained” standing for her.
Russian courtroom extends detention of journalist Alsu Kurmasheva till June | Press Freedom Information
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