Russian-American journalist Alsu Kurmasheva has been sentenced to six-and-a-half years in prison in Russia for spreading false information about the Russian army. The closed-door hearing took place in the city of Kazan and is part of a recent trend of US journalists being convicted in the country. Another journalist, Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, was also convicted of espionage on the same day in Yekaterinburg and sentenced to 16 years in prison.
Some speculate that the Kremlin may be using journalists as bargaining chips in a potential prisoner swap with the US, but spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined to comment on this theory. Kurmasheva, a Prague-based journalist for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, was detained in October 2023 for allegedly failing to register as a foreign agent. She was formally charged with spreading false information in December, a charge that her family and employer deny.
RFE/RL CEO Stephen Capus has called Kurmasheva’s conviction a “mockery of justice” and demanded her immediate release. Her husband, Pavel Butorin, believes that she is innocent and is urging for her return home. Butorin has shared his confidence in her innocence, stating that he had already bought Taylor Swift tickets for her return in August before she was arrested. Kurmasheva had traveled to Russia to visit her mother in May 2023 but was detained at the airport on her way back to Prague in June.
Butorin has asked the US government to declare Kurmasheva as wrongfully detained, as they have done for Gershkovich. The case has sparked concern among journalists and advocates for press freedom, as the recent convictions in Russia raise fears of a crackdown on media freedom. The circumstances surrounding the rapid and closed-door trials of both journalists have led to speculation about the motives behind their convictions.
The jailing of Kurmasheva and Gershkovich has drawn international attention and condemnation, with calls for their immediate release. The treatment of journalists in Russia has raised concerns about the safety and freedom of the press in the country, as well as the potential implications for US-Russia relations. The fate of the imprisoned journalists has become a point of contention in diplomatic discussions between the two countries. It remains to be seen whether there will be any efforts to secure their release through diplomatic channels.
