Alsu Kurmasheva, a Russian-American journalist detained in the Russian city of Kazan after visiting her family, now faces charges, as per colleagues.
Provisional Arrest in June
She was provisionally arrested on June 2 while working as an editor for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty in Prague, which is funded by the United States.
Re-Arrest on Foreign Agent Allegation
Wednesday marked her re-arrest on the allegation of failing to register as a foreign agent, punishable by up to five years in prison.
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Russian authorities jailed American journalist Ms. Kurmasheva this year.
In March, authorities arrested and indicted 31-year-old Wall Street Journal Moscow correspondent Evan Gershkovich for espionage. A court in Moscow denied his appeal earlier this month and ordered him to remain in custody.
His company and the US government fiercely deny the charges, saying Russia is detaining him for Russian citizens.
Alsu Kurmasheva, a dual citizen of Russia and the United States, works for the Tatar-Bashkir service of RFE/RL. Tatar and Bashkir, spoken by indigenous populations in two districts of central Russia, are closely related languages.
RFE/RL reported that Czech resident Ms. Kurmasheva travelled to Kazan for a family issue late in May. While detained awaiting her return flight, authorities confiscated both her American and Russian passports.
Challenges for Journalists in Russia
According to Tatar Inform, a local state news website, police accused her of gathering intelligence for foreign governments and not registering as a foreign agent.
Prominent Russian journalist Dmitry Kolezev wrote that the language of the allegation against Ms. Kurmasheva was so broad that it could prohibit the collection of even the most fundamental information about military personnel, such as the names and unit numbers of soldiers. “Another hostage was taken,” he continued.
Ms. Kurmasheva’s scholarly contributions often centred on challenges faced by ethnic minorities residing in central Russia.
According to independent Russian media organisations and press freedom watchdogs, the Russian government routinely harasses journalists and obstructs independent reporting using repressive legislation.
Among the journalists and Kremlin critics labelled “foreign agents” is Dmitry Muratov, the recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize.
Last September, the Russian government convicted Kommersant and Vedomosti employee Ivan Safronov to 22 years for treason.
Dmitry Ivanov, a prison colony inmate since March, received an eight-and-a-half-year sentence for “disseminating false information” regarding the Russian army via the Telegram messaging application.
