{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases/norton-schiff-request-status-update-and-wrongfully-detained-determination", "Norton, Schiff Request Status Update and \u201cWrongfully Detained\u201d Determination from State Department for U.S. Journalist Alsu Kurmasheva", "2023-12-04", "2023", "2023-12", "Democrat", "House", "DC", "Eleanor Holmes Norton", "N000147", "norton.house.gov", "norton", "https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013\u2013 Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) and Congressman Adam Schiff (D-CA) led Members of Congress in writing a letter to the State Department today to request a status update on the case of Alsu Kurmasheva, a journalist who holds dual U.S. and Russian citizenship who has been unlawfully detained by Russia since October 18, 2023. Kurmasheva is an editor with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and was detained after traveling to Russia for a family emergency.\n\n\u201cWe respectfully request that the State Department provide us with an update on her case upon receipt of this letter, including the status of the State Department\u2019s efforts to secure consular access,\u201d the letter stated. \u201cWe also strongly urge the Department to immediately issue a \u201cwrongfully detained\u201d determination in this case. Based on the facts that are known, we believe aformal designation is warranted and remains important to ensure the full engagement of the U.S. government and the provision of all relevant resources to support Ms. Kurmasheva and her family as efforts continue to return her to her loved ones as soon as possible.\u201d\n\nThe full text of the letter follows.\n\nDecember 1, 2023\n\nThe Honorable Antony Blinken\n\nSecretary\n\nU.S. Department of State\n\n2201 C Street NW\n\nWashington, DC 20522\n\nDear Secretary Blinken:\n\nWe write to express our deep concern about Alsu Kurmasheva, a journalist who holds dual U.S. and Russian citizenship and has been unlawfully detained in Russia.\n\nMs. Kurmasheva is an editor with the Tatar-Bashkir Service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, which is funded by a grant from Congress through the U.S. Agency for Global Media. After traveling to Russia for a family emergency, Ms. Kurmasheva was detained at Kazan International Airport on June 2, 2023, before her return flight. Her U.S. and Russian passports were confiscated, and she was fined 10,000 rubles for failure to register her U.S. passport with Russian authorities. She was then released but was denied the return of her travel documents. On October 18, 2023, she was detained again and charged with failure to register as a foreign agent. We are concerned about her well-being.\n\nWe respectfully request that the State Department provide us with an update on her case upon receipt of this letter, including the status of the State Department\u2019s efforts to secure consular access. We also strongly urge the Department to immediately issue a \u201cwrongfully detained\u201d determination in this case. Based on the facts that are known, we believe aformal designation is warranted and remains important to ensure the full engagement of the U.S. government and the provision of all relevant resources to support Ms. Kurmasheva and her family as efforts continue to return her to her loved ones as soon as possible. We also request that you prioritize the immediate release of Ms. Kurmasheva, Evan Gershkovich and all other U.S. citizens who are unlawfully detained in Russia, and seek pathways to secure their safe return. Ms. Kurmasheva\u2019s case is yet another example of Russia\u2019s assault on press freedom and democratic values. We further request that the State Department keep us informed of any developments in her case.\n\nSincerely,\n\nEleanor Holmes Norton\n\nAdam Schiff\n\nAndr\u00e9 Carson\n\nLloyd Doggett\n\nRobert Garcia\n\nJames McGovern\n\nMike Quigley\n\nEric Swalwell", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T01:14:16Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://norton.house.gov/media/press-releases/norton-schiff-request-status-update-and-wrongfully-detained-determination"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.1514080688357353, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}