Russian court extends detention of journalist Alsu Kurmasheva until June
Al Jazeera
Russian American is accused of failing to register as a ‘foreign agent’ and spreading ‘false information’.
A Russian court has extended the pre-trial detention of journalist Alsu Kurmasheva until June 5, her employer Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) says.
The Prague-based editor, 47, was arrested last year in the city of Kazan in southwest Russia for failing to register as a “foreign agent” and for spreading “false information” under censorship laws enacted after Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Appearing in court in Kazan on Monday, Kurmasheva smiled and complained about the poor state of the cell where she was being held, an Agence France-Presse reporter said.
Kurmasheva, who has both US and Russian passports, entered Russia in May to deal with a family emergency. She was initially detained on June 2 at an airport while awaiting her return flight, and her passports were confiscated.
According to court documents, she was then fined 10,000 roubles ($108) in October for failing to register her US passport with Russian authorities.
