The U.S. Calls for the Release of Alsu Kormashova, a Journalist Imprisoned in Russia

The U.S. Embassy in Moscow on Tuesday, July 23, urged Russia to release Alsu Kormashova, a Russian-American journalist for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, who was sentenced to six and a half years in prison last week. A court in Kazan, southern Russia, announced on Monday, July 22, that Kormashova was found guilty in a closed session for disseminating false information about the Russian army. On the same day, another court in Russia sentenced Evan Gershkovich, an American journalist, to 16 years in prison. Washington has described both sentences as 'unjust.' Kormashova, a mother of two and a resident of Prague, has been in detention in her hometown of Tatarstan, Russia, since late October 2023. She was initially arrested in June 2023 after visiting her mother and was accused of a minor offense while leaving Russia. However, Russian investigators later accused her of disseminating false information about the Russian army, a charge she has denied. Pavel Butulin, Kormashova's husband, who also works for Radio Liberty, stated that she committed no wrongdoing and that her trial was related to a book she edited titled 'Saying No to War: 40 Stories from Russians Opposed to Russia's Invasion of Ukraine.' The U.S. Embassy on Tuesday described Kormashova as 'a principled journalist with an unwavering commitment to truth and objective reporting' and stated that her imprisonment by the court is 'a sad day for journalism in Russia.' The statement added: 'We once again call on Russian authorities to release Alsu and other journalists and political prisoners and to respect the fundamental freedoms guaranteed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Constitution of the Russian Federation.' The Kremlin had previously claimed that it was not pursuing Kormashova's case and that Russia does not have a targeted campaign to harass American citizens. Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the U.S. Embassy in Russia expressed that the denial of consular access to Kormashova has caused distress for the embassy, but they will continue to request consular access. In addition to Kormashova and Gershkovich, several other American citizens are also in detention in Russia.