This content was originally published by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and is reprinted with permission.
The U. S. Embassy in Moscow has  , called , for the transfer of Alsu Kurmasheva, a former RFE/RL columnist who holds two U. S. Russian citizen, after she was sentenced to 6 1/2 years in prison by a Russian court on charges she, her company, the U. S. state, and her followers reject as politically motivated.
Responding a day after news of Kurmasheva’s sentencing broke, the embassy said it was” a sad day for journalism in Russia”.
” We once again call on the Russian authorities to release Alsu and other imprisoned journalists and prisoners of conscience”, the embassy said in a post on , social media , on July 23.
All Russians are harmed by the suppression of dissention. A free and independent press is at the heart of democracy, enabling voters to make informed decisions and holding public officials accountable”, it added.
Kurmasheva was found guilty by the court on a charge of fabricating information about the Russian military.
The trial and conviction, which was first reported by AP, were described as” a mockery of justice,” according to RFE/RL President and CEO Stephen Capus, who added that Alsu’s only just choice would be her release from jail by her Russian captors.
” It’s beyond time for this American citizen, our dear colleague, to be reunited with her loving family”, Capus said in a statement.
Late on July 23, a spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova claimed that Kurmasheva’s case was purely a criminal matter.
” Despite the fact that in the West this topic is presented as an alleged persecution of a journalist, I would like to note that in relation to Kurmasheva, such statements, to put it mildly, are not true”, TASS quoted Zakharova as saying. Her case is being treated solely as a criminal case.
Kurmasheva, a 47-year-old mother of two, was arrested in Kazan in October 2023 and first charged with failing to register as a “foreign agent” under a punitive Russian law that targets journalists, civil society activists, and others. After that, she was accused of fabricating information about the Russian military.
The accusations are alleged to be reprisals for RFE/RL’s and the US government’s reporting on the journalist’s employment at a Prague-based broadcaster.
According to U.S. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller, who spoke to reporters on July 22 after learning of her conviction,” She’s a dedicated journalist who is being targeted by Russian authorities for her unwavering commitment to speaking the truth and her principled reporting.”
” Journalism is not a crime, as you have heard us say on a number of occasions, and we continue to make very clear that she should be released”, he said.
The Kremlin has not commented on the conviction. In the past, it has said it is not closely following the case and that it would n’t commen, as Russia’s justice system must be allowed to work through the case.
The jury in the city of Yekaterinberg handed the conviction on July 19 the same day that Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich was found guilty of espionage charges by a court in the city of Yekaterinberg, which he, his employer, and the U.S. government have rejected as politically motivated.
Because of his journalistic background and Americanness, Gershkovich was reportedly targeted by the Russian government in a White House statement from July 19.
Unlike Gershkovich and another American, Paul Whelan, who is serving a 16-year sentence also on espionage charges, Kurmasheva has not been designated by the U. S. government as “wrongfully detained”.
A case being assigned to the office of the special envoy for hostage affairs at the U.S. State Department ensures that the case is handled, raising the political profile of the hostage situation, and enabling the U.S. administration to spend more time ensuring their release.
In an open letter to President Joe Biden on May 31, the U.S. National Press Club, a professional association of American journalists, and 18 other media freedom organizations demanded that Kurmasheva be labeled as a “wrongfully detained” person.
” She meets all the criteria. This should happen immediately. It should have happened months ago”, the letter said.
The State Department” told us to listen to how other factors besides the criteria can be taken into account,” the statement continued,” but we have n’t heard a compelling argument why it ca n’t declare her wrongfully detained.”
Miller chose to state that the Biden administration is still focused on her case rather than address the issue of Kurmasheva’s designation with reporters.
Russia is accused of targeting Americans by holding them on false charges to use as bargaining chips in negotiations to re-acquire Russians who have been convicted of crimes abroad.
Some analysts believe that the move to move Kurmasheva and Gershkovich cases could indicate that Moscow and Washington are pursuing possible prisoner exchange talks. No word has been released on these discussions from either Moscow or Washington.
Kurmasheva is one of four RFE/RL journalists currently imprisoned on suspicion of crimes involving their work. The other three are Andrey Kuznechyk, Ihar Losik, and Vladyslav Yesypenko. RFE/RL and other rights organizations have repeatedly demanded the release of all four, alleging that they were unlawfully detained.
Losik, a blogger and contributor for RFE/RL’s Belarus Service, was found guilty in December 2021 of a number of felony counts, including “organization and preparation of actions that grossly violate public order,” and served a 15-year prison sentence.
Kuznechyk, a web editor for RFE/RL’s Belarus Service, was sentenced in June 2022 to six years in prison following a trial that lasted no more than a few hours. He was found guilty of” creating or participating in an extremist organization.”
Yesypenko, a dual Ukrainian-Russian citizen who contributed to Crimea. Realities, a regional news outlet of RFE/RL’s Ukrainian Service, was sentenced in February 2022 to six years in prison by a Russian judge in occupied Crimea after a closed-door trial. He was convicted of “possession and transport of explosives”, a charge he steadfastly denies.
