Journalist Alsa Kurmasheva was sent to a detention center in Kazan

The US Embassy in Moscow commented to Kommersant on the detention of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty journalist (recognized as a foreign agent) Alsu Kurmasheva in Kazan. A citizen of Russia and the United States, Kurmasheva, from whom both passports were confiscated in June of this year, faces up to five years in prison under an article of the Criminal Code obliging citizens to register as a foreign agent when collecting information that “can be used against the security of the Russian Federation.” Law enforcement agencies have not yet officially confirmed the arrest. The American diplomatic mission said that it was aware of the situation and promised help to the journalist, but refused to add anything to this “out of respect for her privacy.”

“We have no higher priority than the safety of US citizens abroad,” a representative of the US Embassy press service told Kommersant. “We are aware of reports of the detention of Alsou Kurmasheva. When a U.S. citizen is detained abroad, the State Department works to provide all necessary assistance. Once an embassy or consulate becomes aware of the arrest of a U.S. citizen, the consular officer immediately requests access to that citizen. Out of respect for her privacy, we have nothing further to add at this time.”

On the detention of journalist of the Tatar-Bashkir service of Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) Alsu Kurmasheva on October 18 reported agency sources “Tatar-inform”. According to the agency, Alsou Kurmasheva faces charges under Part 3 of Art. 330.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation for “failure to fulfill the obligation established by the legislation of the Russian Federation” for foreign agents to register in the appropriate register if there is a “purposeful collection of information in the field of military, military-technical activities of the Russian Federation” and this data can be used by foreigners “against the security of the Russian Federation.”

The punishment under this article is up to five years in prison.

As Tatar-inform reported, citing sources, the investigation believes that Alsou Kurmasheva received information about the mobilized teachers of one of the universities in Tatarstan and allegedly used this information in preparing materials for “relevant international authorities” and “conducting information campaigns discrediting Russia ” Law enforcement agencies did not comment on the fact of the journalist’s detention and the content of the charges against her. RFE/RL reported that the radio station employee was detained for 48 hours and is now in a temporary detention facility.

On October 20, the court will have to choose a preventive measure for Alsou Kurmasheva.

A graduate of the Kazan Federal University, philologist Alsu Kurmasheva has been collaborating with RFE/RL since 1998 and is the editor of the Internet platform “Idel.Realii” (included in the register of foreign agents). In November 2022, Idel.Realii, with the participation of Alsou Kurmasheva, released a book about residents of the Volga region who oppose the North Military District. According to Tatar-inform, participation in the creation of the book can also become the basis for criminal prosecution, since the book “exposes Russia’s special operation in Ukraine in a negative light.”

A citizen of Russia and the United States, Ms. Kurmasheva permanently lived in Prague, but in May 2023 she entered Russia due to “urgent family needs.” On June 2, she was detained at Kazan airport on a flight to the Czech Republic. The journalist, according to Radio Liberty, had both of her passports confiscated and then fined for failing to comply with the requirement to notify of her second citizenship. She was in the Russian Federation awaiting the return of her passports until her arrest.

And about. RFE/RL President Jeffrey Gedmin called for the immediate release of the journalist so that she could “return to her family”: “Alsu is highly respected by her colleagues; in the family she is a loving wife and a caring mother of two children.” The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ, an international NGO headquartered in the United States) also called release the journalist detained “on trumped-up criminal charges.” CPJ noted that in August 2022, Kazan police conducted searches in the homes of seven RFE/RL journalists and questioned them about the work of the Tatar-Bashkir service. The Union of Journalists of Russia did not comment on the detention.

Let us recall that in March 2023, The Wall Street Journal correspondent, US citizen Evan Gershkovich, was detained in Yekaterinburg. Currently he located in the Lefortovo pre-trial detention center. The FSB Investigation Department opened a criminal case against him under Art. 276 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (espionage), which provides for 10 to 20 years in prison. According to the intelligence service, the journalist “on instructions from the United States was collecting information about one of the enterprises of the Russian military-industrial complex, which constitutes a state secret.” US authorities consider Mr. Gershkovich an “unlawfully detained person.” According to American media reports, after the verdict, Evan Gershkovich may be exchanged for one of the Russians serving prison sentences in the United States or Europe.

Alexander Voronov, Elena Chernenko