A Russian court has dismissed the appeal against the detention of the Russo-American journalist, Alsu Kurmasheva, who stands accused of failing to register as a “foreign agent.”
Ms. Kurmasheva and her lawyer had petitioned for her release from detention and requested that she be placed under house arrest. However, a representative from the Supreme Court of Tatarstan, a region in central Russia where she was arrested on October 18, confirmed that the appeal had been rejected, as reported by the Interfax news agency.
Alsu Kurmasheva is one of two American journalists who have been apprehended in Russia this year. The first was Evan Gershkovich, a reporter for The Wall Street Journal, who was detained in March on charges of “espionage,” allegations vehemently denied by both him and his employer.
Ms. Kurmasheva, employed by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), a U.S.-funded media outlet, was arrested in Kazan, the capital of the Republic of Tatarstan.
The journalist, typically residing in Prague with her husband and two teenage daughters, had traveled to Russia in response to a “family emergency” on May 20 but found herself unable to leave the country due to the confiscation of her American and Russian passports.
Just last week, a Russian court decided to keep her in provisional detention until at least December 5, based on the charge of failing to register as a “foreign agent,” an offense that carries a potential sentence of up to five years in prison.