KAZAN. Dec 1 (Interfax) - The Sovetsky District Court in Kazan extended the arrest of Alsu Kurmasheva, a journalist of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (designated as a foreign-agent media outlet in Russia), for two months on Friday, an investigator who filed for extending the arrest told Interfax.
"The period has been extended until February 5," the investigator said.
The previous period of Kurmasheva's arrest expires on December 5.
The court processed the motion for extended arrest in camera.
Lawyer Rim Sabirov said he would appeal the order, as a person charged with a crime of medium severity cannot be incarcerated.
As reported earlier, Kurmasheva was detained in Kazan as a suspect in the criminal case of failing the legal duty to submit documents necessary for inclusion in the register of foreign agents to the relevant agency by a person purposefully gathering information about military and military-technical activity of Russia, which could be used to the detriment of Russia's security if acquired by foreign sources.
Investigators asked the court to place the suspect under arrest. The Sovetsky District Court in Kazan ordered the journalist's arrest until December 5. The Supreme Court of Tatarstan found the arrest legal.
The journalist's lawyer Edgard Matevosyan said after the hearing that Kurmasheva did not notify the Justice Ministry of being an employee of a foreign-agent media outlet.
"There are two ways of designation as a foreign agent: either you volunteer to submit [the information] or the Justice Ministry designates you. [...] She does not think she is guilty," Matevosyan said.
Kurmasheva has a registered residence in Kazan but actually lived in Czechia and is a citizen of both Russia and the United States.