Russia detains American journalist Alsu Kurmasheva

Russia has detained American journalist Alsu Kurmasheva in Kazan, one of the most populated cities in the country, after being accused of not registering as a foreign agent - a requirement stipulated by the Kremlin - despite the fact that she also has Russian nationality. Her arrest occurred on October 18 while she was waiting for her passport to be returned.

Authorities also suggest that, during her stay, she sent Russian military information to foreign sources. She faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison.

Kurmasheva, a Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) reporter and resident of Prague, Czech Republic, is in a temporary detention center. Both the media outlet for which she works and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) have called for "her immediate release."

"CPJ is deeply concerned by the detention of U.S-Russian journalist Alsu Kurmasheva on spurious criminal charges and calls on Russian authorities to release her immediately and drop all charges against her. Journalism is not a crime and Kurmasheva’s detention is yet more proof that Russia is determined to stifle independent reporting," Gulnoza Said, CPJ's program coordinator for Europe and Central Asia, wrote in a statement.

Unable to leave Russia since May

The journalist traveled to Russia in May due to a family emergency. On June 2, shortly before returning to Prague, she was detained for the first time at the Kazan airport by Russian authorities, who alleged that Kurmasheva failed to register her American passport. At that time, security forces took away both of her passports – American and Russian – and she was unable to travel.

This Wednesday, when she went to get her documents in oder to return to Prague, she was detained again.

Second American journalist detained by Russia in 2023

She is the second American journalist Russia has detained in 2023. In March, authorities arrested Evan Gershkovich, a reporter for The Wall Street Journal, in Yekaterinburg. The security forces accused him of espionage for allegedly collecting information about the activities of one of the companies of the Russian military-industrial complex.

Gershkovich remains detained in the Lefortovo prison, located in Moscow, awaiting trial.