Russia: NUJ condemns journalists’ imprisonment
The union joins the International Federation of Journalists in calling for the immediate release of Alsu Kurmasheva and Evan Gershkovich, imprisoned in the country.
On 19 July, US journalist Evan Gershkovich was sentenced to 16 years in prison on espionage charges, in a decision condemned by the NUJ. The union is urging his release, alongside 59 other journalists wrongly imprisoned in Russia and occupied Ukraine. Although officials in both Washington and Moscow have said negotiations are underway, details on progress remain unknown. Gershkovich was detained for over a year before his trial commenced and it is hoped the fast-track trial may signal a prisoner exchange, as the Kremlin has previously indicated it will only enter a deal after a conviction is secured.
US-Russian journalist Alsu Kurmasheva was also handed a six and a half year sentence on 19 July for “disseminating false information about the Russian armed forces.” The editor with the US-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) outlet in Prague was charged based on her alleged involvement in the distribution of a book based on the accounts of residents in the Volga region, opposing Russia’s war on Ukraine.
Kurmasheva was temporarily detained in June last year and had her passports confiscated with a fine issued for failing to disclose her United States passport to authorities. In October, the journalist was detained again by Kazan authorities for failing to register herself as a foreign agent.
Both the NUJ and IFJ are calling on Russian authorities to recognise the right of journalists to carry out their work without fear of imprisonment, and drop charges against Gershkovich and Kurmasheva.