An American journalist was detained by Russian authorities on Wednesday, according to a statement from the individual’s employer.
Alsu Kurmasheva, a Russia-U.S. dual citizen and editor at American broadcaster Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), was arrested on Wednesday by Russian authorities for failing to register as a “foreign agent,” according to a statement from the broadcaster. Kurmasheva is the second American journalist to be detained in Russia after Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich was arrested by authorities in March on espionage charges. (RELATED: ‘Unacceptable’: White House Condemns Russia Detaining US Journalist, Warns Against Travel)
“Alsu is a highly respected colleague, devoted wife, and dedicated mother to two children,” Dr. Jeffrey Gedmin, acting president of RFE/RL, said in a statement on Wednesday. “She needs to be released so she can return to her family immediately.”
Russian authorities in Kazan have detained Alsu Kurmasheva, an editor with @RFERL‘s Tatar-Bashkir Service.
Read now: https://t.co/eidb2g44GZ pic.twitter.com/kCXODsiKWj
— RFE/RL Pressroom (@RFERLPress) October 18, 2023
Kurmasheva had traveled to Russia in May for a “family emergency,” according to the statement. She was scheduled to leave in early June, but was temporarily detained at the airport and had her Russian and U.S. passports confiscated by authorities.
She was initially fined for failing to register her U.S. passport, according to the statement. She expected to have them returned, but a new charge was announced on Wednesday, and Kurmasheva now faces up to five years in prison if convicted.
Russian law dictates that individuals and organizations engaged in broadly defined political activity must register as foreign agents, according to the New York Times. The law has received backlash by rights groups as a way for Russia to suppress dissent while maintaining the Kremlin’s public image.
Kurmasheva’s arrest mirrors that of Gershkovich’s, who himself was detained by Russian authorities in March for “spying in the interest of the American government” and trying to obtain “classified information.” Gershkovich’s arrest came after his contribution to a WSJ story outlining the Wagner mercenary group’s involvement in the Russia-Ukraine war.
The WSJ denies Gershkovich was committing any illegal activity and has continually demanded his release. Gershkovich remains in a maximum-security prison in the Lefortovo district, according to the WSJ.
The Kremlin did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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