Russia: Women Press Freedom Celebrates the Release of Alsu Kurmasheva and Others in US-Russia Prisoner Swap
Jailed Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershovich and political prisoner Vladimir Kara-Murza among those freed
Location: Russia
Date: August 1, 2024
Women Press Freedom is delighted that Russian-American journalist Alsu Kurmasheva has been released from prison in Russia and is finally, after ten grueling months, able to return home to family in Prague. The RFE/RL journalists’ release was secured as part of a mass prisoner swap between several Western countries and Russia. Since her unjust detention last October, Women Press Freedom has been continuously advocating for Alsu’s release. Throughout her ordeal, Kurmasheva was denied proper medical care and contact with her family. This is the best possible outcome, and we commend all who worked to free Alsu, along with the other political prisoners, unfairly trapped behind Russian bars. We especially note the tireless work of Alsu’s loving husband, Pavel Butorin, and her two daughters, who spoke so eloquently about their mother to government bodies and international media. After almost a year, Alsu will be returned to them and free from the horrors of the tiny cell in Kazan. We send Alsu, her family, and all her loved ones the very best. While celebrating this incredible news, Women Press Freedom also wishes to highlight the ongoing plight of Russian journalists who remain imprisoned for merely doing their job. This includes Maria Ponomarenko, Antonina Favorskaya, and Olga Komleva. The Kremlin must cease its relentless persecution of journalists and free them all immediately.
WPF welcomes the judgment of the Fair Work Commission that found that broadcaster Antoinette Lattouf was fired by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) following a social media post by Lattouf sharing a Human Rights Watch claim about Israel's actions in Gaza.
WPF is deeply concerned for the safety of press workers in Georgia following the disputed elections marred by violence, allegations of vote rigging, and claims of electoral misconduct. Throughout election day, journalists reporting at polling stations faced assaults, intimidation, and obstruction, highlighting the growing dangers for independent media covering politically sensitive events in the country
Women Press Freedom stands resolutely in solidarity with Arzu Yıldız, an investigative journalist from Turkiye forced into exile after facing persistent threats and persecution for her work. Yıldız's experience is emblematic of the broader crackdown on press freedom under President Tayyip Erdoğan's regime, where dissent is aggressively stifled. We unequivocally condemn the targeting and persecution of journalists by President Tayyip Erdoğan's government.
On August 1, 2024, in a touching and emotional scene, Alsu Kurmasheva was finally reunited with her husband and two daughters after ten long months of unjust detention in a Russian jail. As she disembarked a plane at a military airport base near Washington, D.C., she was also warmly greeted by US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.
Kurmasheva's eldest daughter, Bibi Butorin, noted that her younger sister's 13th birthday is tomorrow, calling their mother’s return the "best birthday present ever."
Alsu Kurmasheva’s release was part of a high-profile prisoner exchange finalized between Russia, the U.S. and Germany. Those released also included wrongfully detained American journalist Evan Gershkovich, American former marine Paul Whelan, prominent Russian political figures and activists Vladimir Kara-Murza, Ilya Yashin, Andrei Pivovarov, Oleg Orlov, Alexandra Skochilenko, Lilia Chanycheva, Ksenia Fadeeva, Kevin Lik,Demuri Voronin, Vadim Ostanin, German Rico Krieger, and others.
In exchange, Russia received FSB operative and convicted assassin Vadim Krasikov and several other individuals linked to espionage and fraud.
Negotiations, which began in early 2022, saw a complex interplay of political and moral considerations. By July 2024, the agreement was finalized, resulting in the release of the political prisoners through a Russian presidential pardon, which does not require an admission of guilt.
Kurmasheva, editor for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), was unjustly detained by Russian authorities on October 18, 2023. Initially targeted for failing to register as a "foreign agent," her situation escalated with new charges accusing her of spreading "fake" news about Russia’s military. Despite her deteriorating health and multiple appeals by her defense for house arrest, Russian courts consistently extended her detention.
On July 19, 2024, Kurmasheva was sentenced to six and a half years in prison after a secret trial, where she was convicted of spreading false information about the Russian military.
The prisoner exchange marks a celebratory moment for human rights and justice advocates. The release of high-profile political prisoners, including prominent figures such as Evan Gershkovich, Vladimir Kara-Murza, and Alsu Kurmasheva, represents a notable triumph for the global effort to secure the freedom of unjustly detained individuals. This exchange not only restores freedom to those who have been wrongfully imprisoned but also underscores the successful diplomatic negotiations that prioritized human rights and legal fairness. The culmination of these negotiations, which involved intricate political maneuvering and moral considerations, highlights a renewed commitment to resolving complex international issues through dialogue and compromise.
The release of these prisoners, who have faced severe restrictions on their freedoms for their journalism or activism, is celebrated as a beacon of hope and a testament to the resilience of global advocacy for justice and press freedom.
WPF is deeply saddened by the death of Ukrainian journalist Victoria Roschyna, who died under unclear circumstances while being transferred to a Moscow prison. The circumstances of her death remain uncertain, but one fact is clear: the Kremlin bears responsibility.
WPF strongly condemns the criminal charges brought against Ukrainian journalists Diana Butsko, Olesya Borovik, and CNN’s Nick Peyton Walsh by Russian federal security services for their coverage of Ukrainian military incursion into the Kursk region.
WPF is alarmed that the well-known journalist is facing issues traveling due to the Kremlin’s concerted and unjust transnational repression tactics
WPF strongly condemns Moscow's legal threats against Italian journalists Stefania Battistini and Simone Traini, who work for the Italian public broadcaster RAI. The journalists stand accused of "illegal border-crossing" after reporting on Ukraine’s counter-invasion in Russia's Kursk region.
WPF is delighted that Russian-American journalist Alsu Kurmasheva has been released from prison in Russia and is finally, after ten grueling months, able to return home to family in Prague.
WPF condemns the sentencing of Ukrainian TV presenter Natalia Moseychuk to five years in prison by a Moscow court, in yet another transnational repression attack on press freedom.
WPF condemns the Kremlin’s relentless legal harassment of exiled journalists under “foreign agent” law.
Elizaveta Surnacheva is now facing a second prosecution for failing to comply with the reporting requirements imposed on those labeled as “foreign agents.”
Olga Komleva, a reporter and activist from Ufa, is facing mounting legal pressures and accusations.
In a stark affront to press freedom, a Russian court has convicted American journalist Alsu Kurmasheva in a secret trial, sentencing her to six and a half years in prison.
Exiled journalist Lyudmila Savitskaya has been subjected to continuous legal and financial harassment by the Russian regime, WPF is worryingly documenting.
War photographers Olga Kovalova and Vladyslav Krasnoshchok were injured by Russian shelling while covering the conflict in Toretsk, Donetsk.
Women Press Freedom condemns the continued persecution of journalist who has faced years of harassment.
WPF strongly condemns the ongoing persecution of journalists by the Russian government, which continues to label independent news outlets as “undesirable.”
WPF strongly denounces this transnational repression and calls on the international community to stand in solidarity with Taratuta and other exiled journalists who remain vulnerable to state-sanctioned reprisals from Russia for continuing to report.
Russian-US journalist and author Masha Gessen was convicted in absentia by a Moscow court on charges of spreading false information about the military.
The Kremlin has initiated yet another deplorable attack on press freedom by opening an administrative case against exiled journalist Yulia Latynina.
The Interior Ministry issues arrest warrants for at least 13 women and non-binary journalists.
Court arrests Lazareva in absentia following search warrant by Ministry of Internal Affairs. The renowned journalist is unjustly accused of justifying terrorism.
The deepfake targeting France 24 and journalist Catalina Marchant de Abreu is a serious threat to press freedom and public trust.
WPF vehemently condemns the recent decision by a St. Petersburg court to label the journalist couple Lydia Nevzorova and Aleksandr Nevzorov as an “extremist union.”
WPF denounces additional fines slapped on Baranova for “failure to comply with foreign agent law”
Russian military forces detained Zhanna Kyseliova, editor of the Kakhovska Zoria newspaper, on June 27, 2024, in Kakhovka, Kherson, following a raid on her apartment.
WPF denounces Russia’s decision to revoke the accreditation of Carola Schneider, a seasoned Moscow correspondent for Austria’s ORF.
WPF unequivocally condemns the Kremlin’s persistent and cynical use of transnational repression to silence dissenting voices, both domestically and abroad.
Arrested in absentia, journalist Ekaterina Fomina faces charges for disseminating "fakes" about the Russian army — a clear retaliation against her investigative reporting, which exposed a Russian soldier's confession to murder in Ukraine.
WPF condemns in the strongest terms the Russian Foreign Ministry's decision to revoke the accreditation of Austrian journalist Maria Knips-Witting and order her expulsion from the country.
WPF condemns in the strongest terms the recent actions taken by Rosfinmonitorin in designating journalists Maria Menshikova and Anna Loiko as “terrorists and extremists.”
Victoria Roshchyna, a Ukrainian journalist who went missing in August 2023, is being held by Russia’s Ministry of Defence, WPF can confirm.
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