Alsu Kurmasheva

Alsu Kurmasheva
Kurmasheva in 2024
Born (1976-09-01) September 1, 1976 (age 48)
Kazakh SSR, Soviet Union
CitizenshipUnited States and Russia
OccupationJournalist
Known forDetainment in Russia
Criminal chargesFailure to register as a foreign agent
Criminal statusReleased on August 1, 2024 during prisoner exchange
Children2

Alsu Khamidovna Kurmasheva (Russian: Алсу Хамидовна Курмашева, Tatar: Алсу Хәмид кызы Кормашева, romanized: Alsu Xämid qızı Qormaşeva; born (1976-09-01)September 1, 1976) is a Russian and American journalist with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's Tatar-Bashkir Service. Kurmasheva was arrested in Kazan, Russia on October 18, 2023, and charged with failure to register as a foreign agent. The charge carried a potential sentence of five years in prison. Kurmasheva was released on August 1, 2024 as part of a prisoner exchange.

Early life and education

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Alsu Khamidovna Kurmasheva was born on (1976-09-01)September 1, 1976[1] in Kazakh SSR, Soviet Union.[2] She is an ethnic Tatar.[3]

Career

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Kurmasheva incorporates Tatar culture and language in her journalism.[3] She works for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's Tatar-Bashkir Service.[4][5][6][7] She speaks Crimean Tatar, Russian, Czech, English, Turkish, Volga Tatar, and Bashkir fluently.[8] Kurmasheva has taught the Crimean Tatar language online.[8]

Detainment

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See also: List of American people imprisoned abroad

Kurmasheva entered Russia on May 20, 2023, to deal with a family emergency, according to RFE/RL.[9] She visited her sick elderly mother living in Tatarstan, Russia.[10] Kurmasheva was temporarily detained while waiting for her return flight on June 2, 2023, at Kazan airport and authorities confiscated Kurmasheva's passports, preventing her from leaving the country.[9] She was fined 10,000 rubles for failing to register her U.S. passport on October 11, 2023, according to court documents.[11]

Kurmasheva was detained again on October 18, 2023, and charged with failure to register as a foreign agent,[12] punishable by up to five years in prison.[13][6] Specifically, the charges against Kurmasheva allege that she "deliberately conducted a targeted collection of military information about Russian activities via the internet to transmit information to foreign sources."[12] Her lawyer, Edgar Matevosyan, said she was pleading not guilty.[13] On October 20, 2023, Russian authorities extended Kurmasheva's detention by three days.[14] On October 23, 2023, a district court in Kazan rejected Kurmasheva's request for pretrial measures avoiding incarceration, instead assigning her to a detention center until December 5, 2023.[15]

Kurnasheva's detainment garnered significant criticism, particularly from Western governments and international human rights and media freedom organizations. Dmitry Kolezev, a prominent Russian journalist, characterized her arrest as "another hostage has been taken."[16] The Committee to Protect Journalists demanded Russia release Kurmasheva, expressing "deep concern" with her detention and stating "journalism is not a crime."[17] The U.S. State Department claimed Kurmasheva's detention was a case of Russian harassment of U.S. citizens. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied that Russia was harassing Americans. According to the Associated Press, analysts believe Russia may be using jailed Americans as bargaining chips after the increase of Russian-U.S. tensions following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[18] On April 1, 2024, a Russian court extended her detention until June 5, 2024.[19]

In July 2024, Kurmasheva was secretly sentenced to 6.5 years in prison for spreading "false information" about the Russian army.[20] The charges were related to a book she had edited after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, "Saying No To War," which featured stories of 40 Russians who opposed the invasion.[21]

Release

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Kurmasheva, Gershkovich and Whelan together with government officials and staff on their return flight to the U.S. on 1 August 2024

On August 1, 2024, Kurmasheva, alongside Paul Whelan, Evan Gershkovich, and various other individuals, was released in a 26 person prisoner exchange.[22][23] After her release, Kurmasheva attended Post Isolation Support Activities, a 10-day program offered by the Department of Defense to help former hostages acclimate back to regular life.[24]

Personal life

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Kurmasheva holds both U.S. and Russian citizenship.[6][25] She is married to Russian American journalist Pavel Butorin, who immigrated to the United States in the 1990s,[26] and has two daughters.[27][8]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Курмашева Алсу Хамидовна". Поддержка политзаключённых. Мемориал (in Russian). Retrieved May 13, 2024.
  2. ^ Simmons, Ann M.; Radnofsky, Loiuse (November 20, 2023). "A Campaign Builds to Label Radio Free Europe Journalist as Wrongfully Detained". The Wall Street Journal. Born in what was then the Soviet Republic of Kazakhstan, she moved as a child to...
  3. ^ a b Said, Gulnoza (November 10, 2023). "'Our kids miss their mom': Husband of journalist Alsu Kurmasheva speaks out about her detention in Russia". Committee to Protect Journalists. Retrieved August 3, 2024.
  4. ^ Faulconbridge, Guy; Lebedev, Filip (October 19, 2023). "What is known about Russia's detention of Radio Free Europe journalist?". Reuters.
  5. ^ Knight, Mariya (October 19, 2023). "US citizen working as journalist detained in Russia". CNN.
  6. ^ a b c Vock, Ido (October 19, 2023). "Russian-American journalist Alsu Kurmasheva detained in Kazan". BBC News.
  7. ^ Talmazan, Yuliya (October 19, 2023). "American journalist detained and charged in Russia". NBC Mews. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
  8. ^ a b c Roig-Franzia, Manuel (August 1, 2024). "Alsu Kurmasheva's arrest was a Russian mystery that's tough to solve". Washington Post. Retrieved August 2, 2024.
  9. ^ a b "RFE/RL Condemns Detention of Journalist Alsu Kurmasheva in Russia". Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty. October 18, 2023. Retrieved October 24, 2023.
  10. ^ "'We want her back:' The husband of a US journalist detained in Russia appeals for her release". AP News. November 11, 2023.
  11. ^ "Russian court extends custody of US journalist in 'foreign agent' case". Reuters. October 20, 2023. Retrieved October 24, 2023.
  12. ^ a b Dixon, Robyn (October 19, 2023). "Russia detains radio journalist accused of being 'foreign agent'". Washington Post.
  13. ^ a b "Russian court extends custody of US journalist in 'foreign agent' case". Reuters. October 20, 2023. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
  14. ^ "Russia extends detention of a US journalist detained for failing to register as a foreign agent". Associated Press. October 20, 2023. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
  15. ^ Cann, Christopher (October 23, 2023). "US journalist denied release, faces lengthy sentence in Russia on foreign agent charges". USA Today. Gannett Co., Inc. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
  16. ^ Ivan Nechepurenko (October 19, 2023). "Russia Detains a U.S. Journalist". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Wikidata Q123128637. Retrieved October 19, 2023.
  17. ^ "Russian authorities detain RFE/RL journalist Alsu Kurmasheva". Committee to Protect Journalists. October 18, 2023. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
  18. ^ "Russia extends detention of a US journalist detained for failing to register as a foreign agent". Associated Press. October 20, 2023. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
  19. ^ "Russian court extends pre-trial detention of RFE/RL journalist". Reuters. April 1, 2024. Retrieved April 1, 2024.
  20. ^ "Russian-American journalist jailed by Moscow for six-and-a-half years". The Guardian. July 22, 2024.
  21. ^ "Moscow jails Russian-America journalist Alsu Kurmasheva for over six years". Al Jazeera. July 22, 2024.
  22. ^ Hinshaw, Drew; Parkinson, Joe; Viswanatha, Aruna (August 2, 2024). "WSJ Reporter Evan Gershkovich Is Free". www.wsj.com.
  23. ^ Ilyushina, Maya; Dixon, Robyn; Westfall, Sammy; Brown, Cate. "A list of people freed in prisoner swap deal with Russia". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 4, 2024.
  24. ^ Siemaszko, Corky (August 2, 2024). "For Americans freed from Russia, the path to recovery starts in Texas". NBC News. Retrieved October 15, 2024.
  25. ^ Faulconbridge, Guy (October 19, 2023). "Russia detains Radio Free Europe journalist with dual U.S. and Russian citizenship". Reuters.
  26. ^ "Russia sentences Russian American journalist to 6.5 years in secret trial". NPR. July 25, 2024.
  27. ^ "RFE/RL Condemns Detention of Journalist Alsu Kurmasheva in Russia". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. October 18, 2023.
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