The European Parliament demands the release from prison of two Russian journalists

2024-04-25 18:19:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

The European Parliament demands the release from prison of two Russian

Alsu Kurmasheva

European lawmakers adopted a resolution calling for the "immediate and unconditional release" of all political prisoners in Russia, including journalists Alsu Kurmasheva and Evan Gershkovich.

The resolution passed on April 25 is part of a joint motion in the EP condemning the "undemocratic" presidential election held in Russia last month and the "illegal extension" of the election to territories inside Ukraine that Moscow has illegally annexed.

The resolution calls for the "immediate and unconditional release, but also compensation, of all political prisoners... for the release of unjustly arrested journalists, including Alsu Kurmasheva and Evan Gershkovich, and their families, for the restoration of freedom of expression expression and assembly in Russia and increased international control and monitoring of human rights violations in Russia".

The resolution also mentions Vladimir Kara-Murza, Oleg Orlov, Ksenia Fadeeva, Ivan Safronov and Ilya Yashin, who, the EP said, are political prisoners and should be released.

Kurmasheva, a journalist with Radio Free Europe in Prague who has American and Russian citizenship, has been detained in Russia since October 18 on charges of violating the so-called "foreign agents" law.

REL and the American Government say that the charges against her are a sign of revenge for Kurmasheva's work at REL. She had traveled to Russia to visit and care for her elderly mother. Kurmasheva was first detained while waiting at Kazan airport to return to Prague on June 2, when her passports were also confiscated.

Kurmasheva, 47, was arrested in Kazan and charged with failing to register as a foreign agent under punitive legislation targeting journalists, civil society activists and others. She has also been charged with spreading fake news about the Russian military and could face up to 10 years in prison if found guilty.

Many critics say the Foreign Agents Act is being used by the Kremlin to suppress dissent. Moscow has also been accused of arresting Americans in order to use them in the exchange of Russian prisoners to the US.

Kurmasheva, who lives in Prague with her husband, Pavel Butor - who also works at REL - and their two daughters aged 12 and 15, said that the conditions in the prison are bad and that his health deteriorates, as he has no access to medical treatments.

Gershkovich, a Wall Street Journal reporter, has been in prison in Russia since March 2023 on espionage charges. He and the paper deny the allegations, saying Gershkovich was doing his job as a journalist when he was arrested.

The US government has said that Gershkovich was unjustly arrested. This setting has not yet been made for Kurmashevan./ CNA