It’s Sunday again . . . and Easter Sunday, to boot. What better time to resurrect the names of some of the hostages — American, British, and Russian citizens — being wrongfully held in Russian prisons and penal colonies on charges ranging from treason, to acting as a foreign agent, to the made-up crime of “extremism.”

And sadly, there are updates — and not hopeful ones — on some of the prisoners already on my list, as well as new name to be added: new arrests, time added to existing sentences, and one American hostage who (I am ashamed to say) escaped my attention until recently.

Let me start with the updates. As I reported on March 27th, the following day would mark the one-year anniversary of the arrest of Evan Gershkovich on charges of spying, during which he has been held in Moscow’s notorious Lefortovo Prison . . . without benefit of trial. Two days before that grim anniversary, a hearing was held in a Moscow court, the result of which was an extension of Gershkovich’s pretrial detention to “at least June 30th.” No reason given; none required.

Alsu Kurmasheva. A dual Russian/American citizen residing in the U.S. with her husband and two daughters, Kurmasheva traveled to Russia last summer to visit her ailing mother and was arrested on charges of failing to properly declare her U.S. citizenship. But now the journalist and co-editor of a book that criticized the invasion of Ukraine has been further charged with “disseminating false information about Russia’s military” — a crime that can result in a prison sentence of up to 15 years.

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There has been little publicity for Marc Hilliard Fogel, an American schoolteacher who was arrested in August of 2021 for trying to enter Russia with 17 grams (0.6 ounces) of medical marijuana. In June of 2022, he was sentenced to an incredible 14 years in prison for “drug trafficking.” Trafficking?!! Just over a half-ounce of medical weed?! That’s barely even possession. But he is serving out his sentence in Rybinsk, a penal colony some 311 km. (around 193 miles) north of Moscow.

You might be wondering how Britney Griner, the American basketball star who was arrested in Russia on similar charges in February 2022, was swapped so quickly — and for notorious Russian arms trader Viktor Bout, at that — while Marc Fogel continues to languish in prison. The answer is simple . . . and revolting. Under U.S. law, in order for negotiations for a release or trade to begin, the American prisoner must first be declared “wrongfully detained” by the U.S. Government. Griner was almost immediately so designated; Fogel, despite lobbying in Congress by his family and others, still has not been. The reason — or excuse — is unknown; and anything that comes to my mind would be just . . . well . . . so wrong.

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And finally (for today), my weekend was ruined by an article headed “Russia is rounding up more journalists a year after the arrest of Evan Gershkovich.” [Radina Gigova, Anna Chernova and Olesya Dmitracova, CNN, March 29, 2024.] It seems that — perhaps as some sort of grotesque commemoration of the anniversary of Gershkovich’s detention — six journalists, all representing independent media outlets in Russia, were arrested over the course of just a few hours this week.

Perhaps the best-known of the six is Antonina Favorskaya, who works for SOTA Vision, an independent Russian media outlet. She has been accused of that new favorite crime, “extremist activities,” because of her work in covering the late dissident Alexei Navalny. According to independent outlet Mediazona, Favorskaya has covered all of Navalny’s court hearings over the last two years, traveled to the penal colonies where he was imprisoned, and filmed his last video before his death. [CNN, March 2, 2024.]

Two other journalists who had come to meet Favorskaya — Alexandra Astakhova and Anastasia Musayeva — were also detained and have been designated as “involved in the case as witnesses.” [Id.] In Russia, you are indeed judged by the company you keep.

I have no further information at this point on these most recent incidents or the status of the individuals; but you, my readers, know me well enough by now to know that I have only just begun to dig . . . and to voice my indignation, for what it is worth.

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So I once more urge you not to forget or forsake those men and women being held HOSTAGE by the Russian government, who have done no more than speak out against the dictatorial, fascist regime of Vladimir Putin. While they have been forced into silence, we have not.

We must continue to use our voices for them. Please just click to share this message on any and every social media platform of your choice. It’s so easy to create that multitude of voices.

Please . . . bring them home!

Brendochka
3/31/24