Journalist, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's Tatar-Bashkir Service
Alsu Kurmasheva is a press freedom advocate and a journalist with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. An ethnic Tatar, she championed Tatar culture, language, and minority rights as a reporter and an editor.
Arrested in Russia in 2023 on charges of failing to register as a “foreign agent” and spreading “false information,” she was sentenced to 6.5 years but released in a 2024 prisoner exchange.
Now a fierce advocate for imprisoned journalists, she raises awareness of their plight, drawing from her own detention. Based in Prague, she received the 2024 CPJ International Press Freedom Award for her resilient journalism and advocacy. She was honored with the President's Award from the National Press Club.
The Sedona Forum is the McCain Institute’s annual, high-level gathering of national and international leaders held each spring in the red rock country of Sedona, Arizona. Starting from the assumption of character-driven leadership and core democratic values, The Sedona Forum convenes thought-leaders, decision makers, activists and diverse experts to discuss approaches and solutions to real-world problems.
