KAZAN, Russia -- The Supreme Court of Russia's Republic of Tatarstan has canceled a lower court ruling to fine sociologist Iskander Yasaveyev for holding a poster demanding the release of RFE/RL journalist Alsu Kurmasheva, who has been held in Russian custody since October 18.
The court on March 20 sent the case back to the Vakhitov district court in Tatarstan's capital, Kazan, for retrial.
Alsu Kurmasheva
During a rally in December in support of all journalists currently held in Russian detention, Yasaveyev held a placard reading "Alsu Kurmasheva is a journalist, not a criminal."
For his actions, Yasaveyev was found guilty of violating regulations for holding public events and fined 15,000 rubles ($164). Yasaveyev appealed the ruling with the Supreme Court.
Kurmasheva -- a Prague-based veteran journalist with RFE/RL who holds dual U.S. and Russian citizenship -- traveled to Russia in May last year for a family emergency.
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 has not been able to leave Russia since as she awaited the return of her travel documents.
On October 11, a court in Kazan fined Kurmasheva 10,000 rubles ($109) 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.
SEE ALSO: Top Czech Diplomat Uses UN Debate To Demand Moscow Free RFE/RL Journalist KurmashevaThe Investigative Committee said at the time that 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."
It gave no further details.
Many critics and rights group say the so-called foreign agent law is used by the Kremlin to crack down on any dissent.
On December 12, Tatar-Inform news agency in Tatarstan and the Baza Telegram channel, both linked to the government, said Kurmasheva was additionally accused of distributing "fake" news about Russia's armed forces, a charge that comes with a punishment of up to 10 years in prison.
Russia's detention of Kurmasheva, the second U.S. media member to be held by Moscow in 2024, triggered a wave of criticism from rights groups and politicians saying the move signals new level of wartime censorship.
Russia's leading human rights group Memorial has recognized Kurmasheva as a political prisoner.
Moscow has been accused of detaining Americans to use as bargaining chips to exchange for Russians jailed in the United States. Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich was arrested in March last year for allegedly spying, a charge he and the newspaper vehemently deny.
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.