Free Alsu Kurmasheva from Russian Detention

Free Alsu Kurmasheva from Russian Detention

Our dear friend and colleague Alsu Kurmasheva is an accomplished American journalist who has been unjustly detained in Kazan, Russia since October 18. Alsu is a loving wife to her husband, Pavel Butorin, and a devoted mother to two young daughters who need her back home in Prague.

Alsu’s dedication to family is what took her to Russia, where she flew to visit her ailing mother in May. But when she tried to go home in June, authorities took her passports, and she was forced to remain in Russia for months. She was awaiting the return of her passports when masked men took her from her elderly mother’s home on October 18 and detained her on false charges.

She now spends her days in a cramped, cold cell, in Kazan, where temperatures are already below freezing. She cannot speak to Pavel or the girls, who haven’t seen their mother in more than seven months. Alsu has done nothing wrong, and our top priority is her immediate and safe return to her family.

There is no amount of money that can alleviate the suffering that Alsu and her loved ones are currently experiencing. However, in the uphill battle to free Alsu from the horrors of Russian detention, we recognize that significant financial burdens have and will continue to impact her family. The emotional, physical, and financial tolls of trying to free a loved one from political imprisonment are overwhelming.

As the fight for Alsu’s freedom continues, we, as friends of Alsu and her family, have organized this campaign to provide, at the very least, relief from financial stress for her family as they spend birthdays, anniversaries, and holidays without their dear Alsu.

From a Russian prison cell, Alsu sends this Christmas message to her friends and supporters:

“My dear friends in Prague and around the world! Thank you so much for keeping me and my family in your thoughts and prayers. Your messages and support get through the jail bars and warm my heart every day. We have so much ahead — we’ll create, we’ll travel, we’ll learn from each other and educate our children. We’ll do that together! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Celebrate freedom and love. Alsu”

An ethnic Tatar, Alsu was born in Kazakhstan in 1976. Her upbringing as a woman with Turkic roots inspired passions for cultural preservation and women’s rights that would later shine through in her journalistic career. She has dedicated her career to cultural and human rights issues affecting ethnic minority communities in her native Tatarstan, Russia. She is fiercely passionate about the preservation of the Tatar language and culture and has led projects on domestic violence and women’s rights.

Alsu’s family firmly believes she was targeted because of her work and her American citizenship. Straight out of college, Alsu began working at Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), headquartered in Prague, in 1998 and became naturalized as an American citizen in 2014. In describing Alsu’s path to American citizenship, her husband Pavel says:

“Alsu is a proud American. Neither of us was born American. We became American citizens by choice – because of the American promise of personal freedom, free speech and expression. Becoming an American citizen is an emotional event. I remember Alsu being overwhelmed with emotion, with tears in her eyes, as she pledged her allegiance to the United States.”

Alsu has spent her career at RFE/RL advancing those same principles that led her to American citizenship: personal freedom, free speech, and expression.

Alsu’s employer and her family continue to explore every possible avenue to secure her immediate and unconditional release. Since her arrest, Alsu’s husband Pavel has steadfastly advocated on her behalf, traveling to Washington D.C. to speak with members of the press, U.S. government officials, and more to amplify her case.

Your donation will provide immediate relief for Alsu’s family as they endure this unimaginable nightmare and help pave the way to securing Alsu’s freedom. All proceeds will go directly to Alsu’s husband and their two young daughters. Click here to learn more about Alsu’s case.

If you are unable to donate, we encourage you to show your support for Alsu by:

Thank you for your consideration.