Russian-American Journalist Alsu Kurmasheva Remains in Jail Ahead of Trial

A Russian court has ordered a detained Russian-American journalist to remain in jail ahead of trial on charges of failing to register as a foreign agent, rather than be released to house arrest, state news agency Tass reported. Alsu Kurmasheva, an editor for the US government-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's Tatar-Bashkir service, was taken into custody on October 18 and faces charges of failing to register as a foreign agent while collecting information about the Russian military. A court last week extended her detention until December 5.

Kurmasheva's Detention Extended

Kurmasheva and her lawyer on Tuesday asked for her release to house arrest, but the court in the Tatarstan capital of Kazan rejected the appeal. She is the second US journalist detained in Russia this year, after Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich was arrested on espionage charges in March. Gershkovich remains in custody.

Kurmasheva Faces Up to Five Years in Prison

Kurmasheva, who lives in Prague, was stopped June 2 at Kazan International Airport after traveling to Russia for a family emergency May 20, according to RFE/RL. Airport officials confiscated her US and Russian passports and she was fined for failing to register her US passport. She was waiting for her passports to be returned when the new charge was filed earlier this month, RFE/RL said.

RFE/RL Fined Millions of Dollars by Russia

RFE/RL was told by Russian authorities in 2017 to register as a foreign agent, but it has challenged Moscow's use of foreign agent laws in the European Court of Human Rights. The organization has been fined millions of dollars by Russia.

Kurmasheva's detention and the charges against her have raised concerns about the state of press freedom in Russia. The country has been cracking down on independent media outlets in recent years, and the detention of Kurmasheva is seen as part of this trend.

The US State Department has called for Kurmasheva's immediate release and has condemned the charges against her as "baseless." The international community is watching the case closely, and it is hoped that Kurmasheva will be released and allowed to return to her work as a journalist.