Russian investigators have reportedly filed another case against veteran RFE/RL journalist Alsu Kurmasheva, who is already being held in Russian custody on a charge of violating the so-called "foreign agent" law's regulations.
The state-controlled Tatar-Inform news agency in Russia's Tatarstan region and the Baza Telegram channel reported on December 12 that Kurmasheva is now accused of distributing "fake" news about Russia's armed forces, a charge that comes with a punishment of up to 10 years in prison.
The case was launched over a book titled Saying No To War. 40 Stories Of Russians Who Oppose The Russian Invasion Of Ukraine that was published in November 2022 by RFE/RL's Tatar-Bashkir Service.
The book was based on 40 stories of residents of Russia's Volga region from March to August 2022 that were shared with RFE/RL and published by the Tatar-Bashkir Service.
Investigators say Kurmasheva took part in the book's distribution.
"We strongly condemn Russian authorities' apparent decision to bring additional charges against Alsu," said RFE/RL acting President and board member Jeffrey Gedmin.
"Journalism is not a crime. It is time for this cruel persecution to end. Alsu has already spent 56 days unjustly detained and separated from her family."
Kurmasheva, a Prague, Czech Republic-based journalist with RFE/RL's Tatar-Bashkir Service who holds dual U.S. and Russian citizenship, traveled to Russia for a family emergency in May.
She was temporarily detained while waiting for her return flight on June 2 at the airport in Kazan, where both of her passports were confiscated. She was not able to leave Russia since then, as she awaited the return of her travel documents.
Authorities on October 11 fined Kurmasheva 10,000 rubles ($103) for "failure to inform Russian officials about holding a second citizenship."
Kurmasheva was detained again on October 18 and this time charged with failing to register as a foreign agent, a crime that carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.
The Investigative Committee said its investigation found that while the Russian Justice Ministry did not add her to the list of foreign agents, she failed to provide documents to be included on the registry.
The committee said Kurmasheva was being charged under a section of the Criminal Code that refers to the registration of "foreign agents" who carry out "purposeful collection of information in the field of military, military-technical activities of Russia," which, if received by foreign sources, "can be used against the security of the country."
Kurmasheva and RFE/RL have both rejected the charge.
SEE ALSO: 'That's How My Days Are Spent': RFE/RL Journalist Alsu Kurmasheva Writes From JailEarlier on December 12, the Supreme Court of Tatarstan confirmed a lower court's December 1 decision to extend Kurmasheva’s pretrial detention, though by one day less, until February 4.
On December 4, a court in Kazan rejected an appeal filed by Kurmasheva's lawyers against the decision in October to fine her 10,000 rubles for failing to register her U.S. passport with Russian authorities.
Russia's detention of Kurmasheva, the second U.S. media member to be held by Moscow this year, triggered a wave of criticism from rights groups and politicians saying the move signals new level of wartime censorship.
On December 10, a protest was held in Kazan against the crackdown inside Russia on independent journalists, including Kurmasheva.
Protesters held placards including, "Alsu Kurmasheva is a journalist, not a criminal," and "No one should die for the right to tell the truth," before security forces moved in and removed any signs mentioning the detained RFE/RL journalist.
SEE ALSO: Russian Activists Protest Crackdown On Journalists, Including RFE/RL's Detained KurmashevaOn November 30, Kurmasheva was recognized by leading Russian human rights group Memorial as a political prisoner.
In March, Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich was arrested for allegedly spying -- a charge he and the newspaper vehemently deny.
Moscow has been accused of detaining Americans to use as bargaining chips to exchange for Russians jailed in the United States.
RFE/RL's jailed journalists (left to right): Alsu Kurmasheva, Ihar Losik, Andrey Kuznechyk, and Vladyslav Yesypenko
Kurmasheva is one of four RFE/RL journalists -- Andrey Kuznechyk, Ihar Losik, and Vladyslav Yesypenko are the other three -- currently imprisoned on charges related to their work. Rights groups and RFE/RL have called repeatedly for the release of all four, saying they have been wrongly detained.
Losik is a blogger and contributor for RFE/RL’s Belarus Service who was convicted in December 2021 on several charges including the “organization and preparation of actions that grossly violate public order” and sentenced to 15 years in prison.
Kuznechyk, a web editor for RFE/RL’s Belarus Service, was sentenced in June 2022 to six years in prison following a trial that lasted no more than a few hours. He was convicted of “creating or participating in an extremist organization.”
Yesypenko, a dual Ukrainian-Russian citizen who contributed to Crimea.Realities, a regional news outlet of RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service, was sentenced in February 2022 to six years in prison by a Russian judge in occupied Crimea after a closed-door trial. He was convicted of “possession and transport of explosives,” a charge he steadfastly denies.