A Russian court has found journalist Alsu Kurmasheva guilty of spreading “fakes” about the Russian military and sentenced her to 6.5 years in prison. The trial was held in Kazan behind closed doors. Court spokeswoman Natalya Loseva confirmed the verdict to The Associated Press. It was handed down in Kazan on Friday, 19 July the same day that a Yekaterinburg court found Wall Street Journal journalist Evan Gershkovich guilty of espionage and sentenced him to 16 years in prison.
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty journalist Kurmasheva was arrested in Kazan in October while visiting her elderly mother. The journalist’s family lives in Prague. Kurmasheva, who has U.S. and Russian citizenship, also lived and worked there in recent years.
She was initially charged with failing to register as a foreign agent and was later also accused of spreading “fakes” about the Russian army.
