Alsu Kurmasheva, Former Political Prisoner, "Sometimes in prison, the only thing I could control was my breath."

This week, fly to Radio Free Europe's Headquarters in Prague to sit down with Sarah Sverdlov as she interviews Alsu Kurmasheva, a journalist who served nearly nine months in a Russian prison. Kurmasheva was imprisoned for her work, including a book titled "Saying No to War," which documented Russian dissent. She described the harsh prison conditions and her coping mechanisms, such as running and reading Milan Kundera's "The Unbearable Lightness of Being." Post-release, she advocates for press freedom and supports imprisoned journalists. Tune in!

You can listen to Alsu Kurmasheva, Former Political Prisoner, "Sometimes in prison, the only thing I could control was my breath." online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

Alsu Kurmasheva, Former Political Prisoner, "Sometimes in prison, the only thing I could control was my breath." is an episode from Fly on the Wall by Fly on the Wall: a GU Politics Podcast.

This episode is 00:38:33 long.

This episode was published on Jan 18, 2026.

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