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A Russian court has sentenced Alsu Kurmasheva, a Russian-American journalist with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), to six and a half years in prison for allegedly spreading “false information” about the Russian military.

Let’s bring you up to speed: Alsu Kurmasheva, a journalist with dual US and Russian citizenship, was arrested in Russia in 2023. Initially detained for failing to register as a “foreign agent,” her charges soon escalated to include spreading “false information” about the Russian military. She was accused of disseminating “fake news” through her editorial work on the book “Saying No to War,” which features interviews and stories from Russians opposing the war in Ukraine.

What she was charged with: Russian authorities found her book offensive under the tightened military censorship laws enacted after the invasion of Ukraine. These laws criminalize the public dissemination of information deemed “false” about the armed forces and impose severe penalties, including imprisonment.

Pushback on the arrest: The case has drawn widespread condemnation from international journalism organizations and the U.S. government. RFE/RL President Stephen Capus labeled the charges as “needless” and “cruel,” considering them a retaliatory act against her reporting. State Department Spokesman Matthew Miller called for Russia to reverse the sentence, emphasizing that “journalism is not a crime.”

Digging Deeper: Kurmasheva is not the only journalist prosecuted by the Russian government in recent months. Last week, Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich was sentenced to 16 years in prison for espionage, a charge that the U.S. government, his news organization, and Gershkovich himself deny.