RUSSIA: SENTENCING OF RFE/RL JOURNALIST ALSU KURMASHEVA HIGHLIGHTS CRACKDOWN ON MEDIA FREEDOM

Reacting to the sentencing of RFE/RL Russian Service’s journalist Alsu Kurmasheva on unfounded charges of spreading false information by the Supreme Court of Tatarstan, Central Russia, Natalia Zviagina, Amnesty International’s Russia Director, said:

“This latest reprisal against an independent journalist is a clear demonstration of the lengths to which the Russian authorities are willing to go to silence dissenting voices, especially those opposing the war against Ukraine. Alsu Kurmasheva is behind bars solely for allowing critics of the Russian government to speak out, including for working on a book about the anti-war movement in Russia. We call for her immediate and unconditional release, as she has been subjected to a manifest violation of her human rights by the Russian state.”

“The case of Kurmasheva, alongside that of Evan Gershkovich and many other imprisoned journalists, highlights the alarming campaign by Russian authorities to stifle free expression and independent reporting in Russia.”

The case of Kurmasheva, alongside that of Evan Gershkovich and many other imprisoned journalists, highlights the alarming campaign by Russian authorities to stifle free expression and independent reporting in Russia

Natalia Zviagina, Amnesty International’s Russia Director

Background

Alsu Kurmasheva, a journalist for the Tatar-Bashkir service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), was sentenced on 19 July to six and a half years in a penal colony for allegedly spreading “fake news” about the Russian military. The trial was held in secret, and the verdict became known only on the evening of 22 July.

Detained in June 2023 while visiting her ailing mother in Kazan, the capital of Tatarstan, she was initially charged with failing to notify authorities of her dual citizenship (Article 330.2 of the Criminal Code), leading to a prolonged investigation during which she was refused permission to travel, and handed a 115 USD fine. Just a week after receiving the fine, she was accused of failing to register as a “foreign agent” (Article 330.1), an offence in Russian law often used to smear and penalize dissenting voices. Six weeks later the authorities pressed additional “fake news” charges, under Russian war censorship legislation, related to her participation in the book “Saying No to War: 40 Stories of Russians Who Oppose the Russian Invasion of Ukraine,” published by RFE/RL. She was placed under arrest in October 2023.