Russia’s detention of US journalists has drawn criticism from press freedom teams.
Russia has detained a Russian-American journalist at a government-funded US media outlet for failing to register as a “overseas agent” when she entered the nation throughout a household emergency.
The outlet Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) mentioned in an announcement on Thursday that Alsu Kurmasheva, an editor and a twin citizen of Russia and the US, faces as much as 5 years in jail.
“Alsu is a extremely revered colleague, devoted spouse, and devoted mom to 2 kids,” mentioned RFE/RL performing President Jeffrey Gedmin in a twin assertion with the Committee to Shield Journalists (CPJ), a press freedom group.
“She must be launched so she will return to her household instantly.”
.@pressfreedom is deeply involved by Wednesday’s detention of @RFERL journalist Alsu Kurmasheva within the western #Russian metropolis of Kazan and calls on #Russian authorities to launch her instantly.https://t.co/wKcchSDybX#FreeThePress
— CPJ Europe and Central Asia (@CPJ_Eurasia) October 18, 2023
US State Division spokesman Matt Miller instructed reporters that the arrest “seems to be one other case of the Russian authorities harassing US residents”.
“We’ve not been formally notified by the federal government of Russia about this arrest,” he mentioned.
Russia has tightened controls over the media following its February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, designating many reporters as “overseas brokers”.
Kurmasheva, who works for RFE/RL’s Tatar-Bashkir Service, is the second US reporter to be detained by Russia this 12 months, after Wall Road Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich was arrested in March on espionage costs.
Press freedom teams and the US authorities have strongly criticised such detentions as a type of stifling dissent. CPJ known as the fees in opposition to Kurmasheva “spurious” in its assertion with RFE/RL.
“CPJ is deeply involved by the detention of US-Russian journalist Alsu Kurmasheva on spurious legal costs and calls on Russian authorities to launch her instantly and drop all costs in opposition to her,” mentioned Gulnoza Mentioned, CPJ’s Europe and Central Asia programme coordinator.
Tatar-Inform, a state-held information company within the Tatarstan republic, has reported that Kurmasheva is being held in a short lived detention centre. The outlet says that Russian authorities have accused Kurmasheva of amassing info on the Russian army to cross alongside to overseas sources.
Kurmasheva, who lives in Prague, travelled to Russia on Might 20 for a household emergency, RFE/RL mentioned. She was stopped at Kazan Worldwide Airport on June 2, the place officers confiscated her passport and administered a positive for failing to register her US passport with Russian authorities, the outlet mentioned.
The editor was awaiting the return of her passports when new costs had been introduced on Wednesday.
The United Nations Workplace of the Excessive Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has issued a name for her “immediate and unconditional” launch.
“Journalists should be left to do their important work free from strain, intimidation and reprisals,” OHCHR mentioned.
