A Russian court in Kazan has decided to prolong the pre-trial detention of Radio Free Europe/ Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) journalist Alsu Kurmasheva until June 5, refusing her plea for house arrest. This marks the second such instance of extension of her pre-trial detention.
Kurmasheva, who maintains dual citizenship in the US and Russia, was first detained in June 2023 when she was about to board a return flight from Russia to the Czech Republic. She was initially charged with breaching a law on ‘foreign agents’, and has been under Russian custody since October 18, 2023. This law necessitates that individuals getting support from outside Russia or ones under foreign influence from non-Russian entities, register with Russian authorities as ‘foreign agents’.
On the day proceeding her court appearance, Kurmasheva reported to journalists that her detention conditions were dismal, with negligible healthcare access, no availability of hot water and a hole in the floor used as a toilet. She also expressed concerns over her deteriorating physical well-being.
Matthew Miller, the US Department of State Spokesperson, has expressed worries about Kurmasheva’s detention, describing the allegations against her as “another sign of the weakness of Putin’s regime.” Furthermore, The National Press Club has also disapproved of Kurmasheva’s continued detention, urging the State Department to declare her ‘wrongfully detained’ to potentially alleviate her grim conditions.
Kurmasheva was also indicted for ‘disseminating false information about the Russian military’ under articles 207.3 and 330.1 of the Criminal Code which essentially outlaws any reporting on the Russo-Ukrainian war.
You can read more about this story here.