“This is an  incredibly trying time for our family. Every morning, I wake up and literally pinch myself in the hope of escaping up from this nightmare.” A few days ago, the husband of Alsu Kurmasheva, a Russian-American journalist who has been jailed in Russia since 18 October, recorded his moving testimony for Reporters Without Borders (RSF).
 
In this interview, Pavel Butorin describes his wife’s sudden and arbitrary arrest, the appalling conditions in which she is held, her inability to talk to her loved ones, and her family’s anxiety. RSF joins Pavel in calling on the US State Department to intercede and to declare that she is “wrongfully detained", as it already did with Evan Gershkovich, the US journalist who has been imprisoned in Russia since 29 March 2023.
 
Alsu Kurmasheva is a victim of Moscow’s war against journalism and its geopolitical conflicts with the United States. She is being targeted because of her work for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reporting on the consequences of the war in Ukraine. She must be freed.
 
RSF will continue to stand by Alsu’s family in its advocacy towards the US government to secure her release. Support RSF, and help us to bring Alsu back to her loved ones.
 
Thank you for your invaluable support.