Court In Tatarstan Reinstates Fine For Activist Who Supported RFE/RL Journalist.

KAZAN, Russia -- A court in Kazan, the capital of Russia's Republic of Tatarstan, has reinstated a fine against sociologist Iskander Yasaveyev for holding a poster demanding the release of RFE/RL journalist Alsu Kurmasheva, who has been held in Russian custody since October 18.

The Vakhitov district court ruled on April 22 that Yasaveyev must pay 15,000 rubles ($160) for holding a placard reading "Alsu Kurmasheva is a journalist, not a criminal" during an authorized rally in December in Kazan in support of all journalists currently held in Russian detention.

Yasaveyev was initially ordered to pay the 15,000-ruble fine on February 1 after he was found guilty by the same court of violating regulations for holding public events.

He appealed that ruling and on March 20, Tatarstan's Supreme Court canceled the sentence and sent the case back for retrial.

Yasaveyev's lawyers said on April 22 that they will appeal the new sentence as well.

Alsu Kurmasheva -- a Prague-based veteran journalist with RFE/RL who holds dual U.S. and Russian citizenship -- traveled to Russia in May last year for a family emergency.

She was temporarily detained while waiting for her return flight on June 2 at the airport in Kazan, where both of her passports were confiscated. She was not able to leave Russia as she awaited the return of her travel documents.

On October 11, a court in Kazan fined Kurmasheva 10,000 rubles ($106) for "failing to inform Russian officials about holding a second citizenship."

Kurmasheva was detained again on October 18 and this time charged with failing to register as a foreign agent, a crime that carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.

The Investigative Committee said at the time that Kurmasheva was being charged under a section of the Criminal Code that refers to the registration of foreign agents who carry out the “purposeful collection of information in the field of military, military-technical activities of Russia,” which, if received by foreign sources, “can be used against the security of the country."

It gave no further details.

Many critics and rights group say the so-called foreign agent law is used by the Kremlin to crack down on any dissent.

On December 12, the Tatar-Inform news agency in Tatarstan and the Baza Telegram channel, both linked to the government, said Kurmasheva was additionally accused of distributing "fake" news about Russia's armed forces, a charge that comes with a punishment of up to 10 years in prison.

RFE/RL has called the cases a reprisal against her for her work as a journalist.

Russia's detention of Kurmasheva, the second U.S. media member to be held by Moscow in 2024, triggered a wave of criticism from rights groups and politicians saying the move signals new level of war-time censorship.

Russia's leading human rights group Memorial has recognized Kurmasheva as a political prisoner.

Moscow has been accused of detaining Americans to use as bargaining chips to exchange for Russians jailed in the United States. Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich was arrested in March last year for allegedly spying -- a charge he and the newspaper vehemently deny.