13 Jun 2025

Judge Orders Release of Harvard Researcher Kseniia Petrova

by Bonnie | | 0

Federal Magistrate Judge Judith Dein ordered Russian-born Harvard Medical School researcher Kseniia Petrova released by U.S. Marshals after about four months in federal custody.

While Petrova’s felony charge is making its way through courts, Dein ordered her to report to probation officers “as directed” and restricted her travel to New England.

Working at Harvard Medical School since 2023, Petrova has been researching ways to diagnose and detect cancer more quickly. On 16 February she was detained at Logan International Airport after arriving from Paris, France. She has been charged with felony smuggling for failing to declare preserved frog embryos in her baggage, which she was bringing into the USA for her principal researcher. Conviction can bring a sentence of up to 25 years imprisonment and a fine up to $250,000. The next hearing in that case is set for 18 June 2025.

Officials quickly transferred Petrova to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility in Louisiana. On 28 May, federal District Court Judge Christina Reiss ordered her released. Federal authorities did not release her, essentially changing the categorization of her detention from immigration to criminal. Attorneys asked the court to expedite her transfer while she remained in criminal custody.

Federal officials are trying to deport her to Russia, where she would face at least prison for opposing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Her lawyers said she has received job offers in other countries and may not want to stay in the USA. When federal lawyers changed their focus from deporting her to seeking felony imprisonment, they made her have to stay and fight this out in courtrooms.

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