Russia formally costs detained US-Russian journalist
MOSCOW: Russia on Thursday formally charged a detained US-Russian journalist with failing to register as a “foreign agent” in a case rights teams have referred to as an “egregious” escalation of Moscow’s decade-long marketing campaign towards impartial media.
Alsu Kurmasheva is the second US reporter to be detained in Russia this yr after the arrest of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich on espionage costs in March.
Rights teams say Kurmasheva’s arrest is the primary time Russian authorities have pressed prison costs of this type towards a journalist.
RFE/RL mentioned in an announcement that Russia’s Investigative Committee had formally charged Kurmasheva on Thursday, following her arrest within the central metropolis of Kazan final week.
The costs carry as much as 5 years in jail.
Kurmasheva is at the moment being held in pre-trial detention till no less than December 5.
Kurmasheva, who lives in Prague together with her husband and two youngsters, had each her Russian and United States passports confiscated throughout a visit to Russia in June.
Authorities initially mentioned she had didn’t notify them of her US citizenship and fined her.
She was arrested on the brand new costs final week whereas ready for her passports to be returned.
Under Russia’s prison code, any Russian residents that interact in what authorities name the “targeted collection” of data that would hurt Russia’s nationwide safety should register as a “foreign agent”.
Critics say the legislation is so sweepingly broad that it successfully provides Russian legislation enforcement the ability to arrest journalists at will.
The Committee to Protect Journalists referred to as Kurmasheva’s arrest “the most egregious instance to date of the abusive use of Russia’s foreign agents’ legislation against independent press”.
Alsu Kurmasheva is the second US reporter to be detained in Russia this yr after the arrest of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich on espionage costs in March.
Rights teams say Kurmasheva’s arrest is the primary time Russian authorities have pressed prison costs of this type towards a journalist.
RFE/RL mentioned in an announcement that Russia’s Investigative Committee had formally charged Kurmasheva on Thursday, following her arrest within the central metropolis of Kazan final week.
The costs carry as much as 5 years in jail.
Kurmasheva is at the moment being held in pre-trial detention till no less than December 5.
Kurmasheva, who lives in Prague together with her husband and two youngsters, had each her Russian and United States passports confiscated throughout a visit to Russia in June.
Authorities initially mentioned she had didn’t notify them of her US citizenship and fined her.
She was arrested on the brand new costs final week whereas ready for her passports to be returned.
Under Russia’s prison code, any Russian residents that interact in what authorities name the “targeted collection” of data that would hurt Russia’s nationwide safety should register as a “foreign agent”.
Critics say the legislation is so sweepingly broad that it successfully provides Russian legislation enforcement the ability to arrest journalists at will.
The Committee to Protect Journalists referred to as Kurmasheva’s arrest “the most egregious instance to date of the abusive use of Russia’s foreign agents’ legislation against independent press”.