Russian court extends detention of Russian-US journalist

MOSCOW (AP) — A Russian court has ordered a detained Russian-American journalist to be held in jail for two more months pending her trial on charges of failing to register as a foreign agent. Alsu Kurmasheva, an editor for the U.S. government-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s Tatar-Bashkir service, was taken into custody on Oct. 18 on charges of not registering as a foreign agent while collecting information about the Russian military. Kurmasheva, who holds U.S. and Russian citizenship and lives in Prague with her husband and two daughters, could face up to five years in prison if convicted. RFE/RL expressed outrage over Thursday’s court decision to extend Kurmasheva’s detention and demanded her immediate release.