Washington D.C. – RFERL, August 06, 2024
After a nearly 10-month ordeal in the whirlwind of the Russian prison system, Alsu Kurmasheva’s rediscovery of life as a free woman looks like this: clean drinking water; a comfortable bed; long walks in the Texas countryside, free from prison guard supervision. And avocados.
“It wasn’t avocado I was craving in prison. Of course, it tastes amazing, because we are in Texas, but you know, it was my first clean water in a glass. I’ve been dreaming of a first glass of water, my first clean long shower in a hotel, my first sleep in a decent bed,” Kurmasheva told RFE/RL in an interview on August 5.
“This morning, I had my first walk by myself without surveillance, without supervision, without anyone taking me anywhere,” she said, speaking by video from Texas, where she was recuperating after being released as part of the largest prisoner swap between Russia and the West since the Cold War.
Still, her reacquaintance with freedom was a work in progress, said Kurmasheva, a dual Russian-American citizen who works as an editor for RFE/RL’s Tatar-Bashkir Service.
“Actually, I didn’t expect this would be so hard. In prison, I felt strong. I thought I was doing OK, but I clearly need some time to cope with everything, what is happening and what has happened, most importantly,” she said.
Detained by authorities in June 2023 as she was visiting relatives in the central Russian city of Kazan, Kurmasheva was initially charged with not declaring her U.S. passport. She was released but barred from leaving the country.
