Alsu Kurmasheva, who works for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and holds dual Russian and U.S. citizenship, went to Russia in May to deal with a family emergency. Today she sits in prison, another victim of Russia’s barbaric practice of seizing people holding foreign nationality and holding them hostage.
The arrest of Ms. Kurmasheva, part of RFE/RL’s Tatar-Bashkir Service, based in the Czech Republic, follows the detention of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who was grabbed in March and charged with espionage, which he and his employer have strenuously denied. He remains incarcerated in Moscow. It’s a good bet that the Kremlin is nabbing more Americans now to proffer a prisoner exchange later, as was the case with basketball star Brittney Griner, who was arrested in February 2022 and then released in December in a swap for a Russian arms dealer serving time in a U.S. prison.
Ms. Kurmasheva was first detained temporarily while waiting for her return flight on June 2 at the airport in Kazan, the capital of Tatarstan, an internal Russian republic. Both of her passports were confiscated, so she was unable to leave Russia. On Oct. 11, the authorities fined her the equivalent of $103 for failing to register her U.S. passport with Russian authorities, according to RFE/RL, which is funded by the U.S. government.
On Oct. 18, she was detained a second time and charged with failing to register as a “foreign agent,” which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison. Since 2012, Russian law provides for the “foreign agent” designation of anyone who receives money from abroad and is involved in political activity. The Kremlin has used the label to punish its critics, including journalists, nongovernmental organizations and other members of civil society, many of whom have fled the country rather than risk the designation. In March, a Moscow court declared the bankruptcy of RFE/RL’s operations in Russia following the company’s refusal to pay multiple fines totaling more than $14 million.
Meanwhile, in Iran, long prison sentences were just handed down for two reporters who helped expose the tragedy of Mahsa Amini, a young Kurdish Iranian woman who died Sept. 16, 2022 after being detained in Tehran by the Islamic “morality police” for an alleged headscarf violation. Her death set off nationwide protests and a continuing movement known as “Women, Life, Freedom.” The reporters, Niloofar Hamedi and Elahe Mohammadi, after more than a year in detention, were just sentenced to seven and six years in prison, respectively, for their journalism.
The Center for Human Rights in Iran said both journalists were detained for basic reporting duties: Ms. Hamedi shared a photo of Ms. Amini’s parents embracing in the hospital; Ms. Mohammadi traveled to Amini’s hometown of Saqqez to cover her funeral. The Iranian security services said the journalists were being used to collect intelligence for the West. But the truth is they were collecting facts to be shared with the Iranian people. That obviously threatened the theocracy.
The rolling protests of the past year demonstrate that Iranians yearn for free information and the right to dress and speak as they choose. Jailing journalists will not change that.
