Elizabeth Tsurkov, a 37-year-old dual Russian and Israeli citizen, expert on Middle Eastern affairs, and a doctoral student at Princeton University was abducted in Iraq, raising questions within the international community.
Tsurkov’s active engagement on social media, where she frequently expressed support for Middle Eastern protesters and critiqued authoritarian regimes, abruptly halted on March 21, 2023. She was in Baghdad, Iraq, conducting research for her dissertation when she was kidnapped. Before her kidnapping, she was researching the Sadr and Tishreen movements in Iraq.
Adding to the distress of Tsurkov’s family is the fact that only eight days before she was kidnapped she had undergone emergency spinal surgery for a herniated disc. She was abducted with stitches still in her back and while on prescription medication.
Both Israeli and United States authorities have identified Kataib Hezbollah, an Iranian-supported militia group known for its numerous assaults on U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria, as the culprits behind Tsurkov’s abduction. Despite the accusations, Kataib Hezbollah denies her kidnapping.
Following Tsurkov’s disappearance, there was at first silence from the Iraqi government, which later, in July, announced it was investigating the abduction. The lack of updates on the investigation has led to widespread frustration and concern among her family and international observers.
The situation grew more complex when, seven months after her kidnapping, an Iraqi television channel broadcast a video of Tsurkov looking visibly distressed. In the video, she was forced to make a false confession of being a spy for Israel and the CIA, claims that her sister, Emma Tsurkov, has vehemently rejected as “absurd.”
Emma Tsurkov’s determined efforts to secure her sister’s release have not only spotlighted Elizabeth’s predicament but also drawn attention to the broader geopolitical tensions involving the United States, Iraq, and Iran. The official inclusion of Kataib Hezbollah in Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces, a state-sponsored conglomerate of militia groups, underscores the complex relationship between non-state and governmental military forces in Iraq.
As developments continue to unfold, Elizabeth Tsurkov’s case exemplifies the difficulties faced by international scholars and critics of governmental and non-governmental entities in conflict zones. Despite the challenges, Emma Tsurkov maintains hope and is steadfast in her commitment to securing her sister’s freedom.