Russian Court Sentences Journalist Alsu Kurmasheva
A Russian court has sentenced Alsu Kurmasheva, a journalist for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), to six-and-a-half years in prison after a secret trial.
Charges and Arrest
Kurmasheva, based in Prague, was arrested last year while visiting family in Kazan, Russia. She was accused of failing to register as a “foreign agent” and spreading “false information” about the armed forces, under laws enacted after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Family’s Reaction
Kurmasheva’s husband, Pavel Butorin, also with RFE/RL, linked her arrest to her editing a book titled Saying No to War: 40 Stories of Russians Who Oppose the Russian Invasion of Ukraine. Kurmasheva, 47, has two children and is the second US journalist sentenced in Russia recently.
Concurrent Sentencing
On the same day, Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich was sentenced to 16 years for espionage in Yekaterinburg. Both trials ended quickly, raising speculation about possible prisoner swaps.
US Response
The US condemned Kurmasheva’s arrest but hasn’t pursued her release publicly through a prisoner exchange. Unlike Gershkovich and Paul Whelan, Kurmasheva hasn’t been designated by the State Department as “wrongfully detained.”
Advocacy Efforts
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) petitioned the State Department to designate Kurmasheva as “wrongfully detained.” Her sentencing alongside Gershkovich suggests potential negotiations for trading her for Russians wanted by the Kremlin.
Russian Crackdown
Since the Ukraine war began, Russia has cracked down on protesters, independent media, and foreign social networks. In March 2023, President Vladimir Putin signed a law imposing up to 15 years in prison for spreading “fake” news about the military.
RFE/RL’s Statement
RFE/RL President Stephen Capus called Kurmasheva’s trial a “mockery of justice” and demanded her release. He urged for her to be reunited with her family, calling her detention unjust.