On 18 October 2023, security forces in Kazan, the capital of Russia’s autonomous region of Tatarstan, detained Russian-American journalist Alsu Kurmasheva.
Russian authorities accused her of failing to register as a “foreign agent”, claiming that the country’s laws oblige anyone collecting information about the Russian military to register as an “agent” on their own initiative. According to unconfirmed information reported by the state-controlled news agency Tatar-Inform, which is based in Kazan, Kurmasheva was accused of collecting information about mobilization in Russia in the context of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Kurmasheva initially traveled to Kazan in May due to urgent family issues. She attempted to leave Russia on June 2, but was detained before boarding her flight at Kazan airport. She was fined for not having declared her American citizenship to Russian authorities, with her Russian and American passports also confiscated at the time.
Unable to leave Russia without a passport, she had since stayed in Kazan, until authorities formulated new accusations against her, this time weaponizing criminal charges.
On October 23, the journalist appeared at a court hearing in Kazan, at which judges ordered her to be placed under arrest until December 5. If found guilty on current charges, she faces up to five years of prison.
UPDATE: On 26 October 2023, the Investigative Committee of Russia formally indicted Kurmasheva. The Russian-American journalist received the same accusations as those initially reported on following her arrest on October 18: violating part 3 of article 330.1 of Russia’s criminal code, which is punished with up to five years in prison.
UPDATE: On 31 October 2023, the Supreme Court of Tatarstan refused Kurmasheva’s lawyer’s request to have her released from prison pending trial. The decision means her current arrest period is maintained until at least December 5.
UPDATE: On December 1, a court in Kazan extended Kurmasheva’s arrest period to 4 February 2024.
UPDATE: On December 12, Russian independent media reported that Kurmasheva had received a new, additional accusation while under arrest. The journalist was reportedly charged with violating article 207.3 of Russia’s Criminal Code, which penalizes disseminating what Russia claims is “false information” about the war in Ukraine, understood as any war-related news not officially confirmed by Russian authorities. If convicted, Kurmasheva faces up to 10 years in prison in addition to the other charges already formulated against her. The accusation on disseminating “false information” was reportedly linked to a book titled “Saying No To War: 40 Stories of Russians Who Oppose the Russian Invasion of Ukraine, which was published in November 2022.
UPDATE: On 1 February 2024, a court in Kazan extended Kurmasheva’s pre-trial arrest period to April 5. On April 1, this period was again extended, this time till June 5. On May 31, Kurmarsheva’s pre-trial arrest period was extended to August 5. This decision was confirmed by the Supreme Court of Tatarstan on June 18.
UPDATE: On 16 July 2024, Russian independent media reported that Kurmasheva’s case was handed to the Supreme Court of Tatarstan for examination and marked as “secret”, due to which no extra information was available on the case.
UPDATE: On 22 July 2024, Russian authorities reported that Kurmasheva had been sentenced to 6.5 years in prison on charges of violating article 207.3 of the Russian criminal code, which penalizes “disseminating false information” on the actions of the Russian army, chiefly in Ukraine.
UPDATE: On 1 August 2024, Alsu Kurmasheva was released from custody and was able to return to the United States, as part of a mass prisoner swap between Russia and Belarus on one side, and the United States, Germany, Norway, Poland and Slovenia on the other.