• Russian-American journalist Alsu Kurmasheva detained in Kazan.
• Arrested on charges of failing to register as a foreign agent.
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• Concerns over the use of broad laws to target journalists.

Russian-American journalist Alsu Kurmasheva, employed by US-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty in Prague, finds herself in detention after visiting her family in Kazan, Russia.

Colleagues reveal that she was initially detained on June 2nd and subsequently arrested on Wednesday.

The charges against her include failure to register as a foreign agent, carrying a potential jail term of up to five years.

Kurmasheva, who holds dual US and Russian citizenship, works for RFE/RL’s Tatar-Bashkir service, focusing on the concerns of ethnic minorities in central Russia.

Her arrest is part of a troubling trend of Russian authorities using broad laws to target journalists and independent reporting, echoing the detention of Wall Street Journal correspondent Evan Gershkovich earlier this year.

Gershkovich’s arrest in March on espionage charges remains disputed by both his employer and the US government, who suspect that he is being held as a bargaining chip for Russian citizens detained by the US and its allies.

The situation further underscores the challenges faced by journalists and media freedom advocates in Russia.

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