Alsu Kurmasheva’s legal professionals and household have denied the costs (File)
A Russian court docket on Thursday prolonged the detention of US-Russian journalist Alsu Kurmasheva — who her employer says faces 15 years in jail for violating censorship legal guidelines — till 5 April.
Alsu Kurmasheva, a Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) journalist, was arrested final 12 months for failing to register as a “international agent”.
A court docket within the central metropolis of Kazan mentioned it had dominated Thursday to maintain her in pre-trial detention till April 5.
On the closed-door listening to, Alsu Kurmasheva’s legal professionals had requested that she be launched below home arrest, pending trial.
After her arrest in October, Alsu Kurmasheva was charged with spreading “false info” about Russia’s navy offensive on Ukraine, in response to RFE/RL.
The “international brokers” cost carries as much as 5 years in jail, whereas these convicted of spreading “false info” withstand 15 years behind bars.
Her legal professionals and household have denied the costs and referred to as for her rapid launch.
Russia has used sweeping censorship legal guidelines to ban criticism of its armed forces and unbiased reporting on its two-year navy marketing campaign.
Alsu Kurmasheva, who lives in Prague together with her husband and two kids, had her US and Russian passports confiscated final June after travelling to Russia for a household emergency.
She was arrested in October whereas awaiting the return of her passports.
Moscow has jailed dozens of its most high-profile critics and unbiased journalists for years below anti-dissent legal guidelines handed days after it ordered troops into Ukraine in February 2022.
Alsu Kurmasheva is the second US journalist to be arrested in Russia previously 12 months.
Wall Road Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich can be being held in pre-trial detention in Moscow on espionage costs that carry a most sentence of 20 years in jail.
He has additionally denied the costs.
Russia has designated RFE/RL a “international agent” — a label with Soviet-era spy connotations designed to chop off help.
In 2022, Alsu Kurmasheva edited a e book titled, “Saying No to Battle” — a group of interviews and tales from Russians who oppose Moscow’s marketing campaign in opposition to Ukraine.
The US State Division mentioned final 12 months that Alsu Kurmasheva’s arrest “seems to be one other case of the Russian authorities harassing US residents.”
(Apart from the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV workers and is printed from a syndicated feed.)
