A Russian court has convicted four journalists of extremism for working for an anti-corruption organisation founded by late opposition leader Alexei Navalny.
Antonina Favorskaya, Kostantin Gabov, Sergey Karelin and Artyom Kriger were sentenced to five and a half years each. The court, Moscow’s Nagatinsky district court, found them guilty of involvement with a group — Navalny’s Foundation for Fighting Corruption — that was labelled “extremist” in Russia in 2021.
All four maintained their innocence and said that they were being prosecuted for doing their job as journalists.
This is the latest incident of Kremlim persecuting dissenting voices in the country including activists, independent journalists and political opponents. The crackdown on dissent has only intensified after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
Two of the four convicted journalists, Favorskaya and Kriger worked with SotaVision — an independent Russian media outlet known for documenting protests and political trials.
Gabov is a freelance producer who has worked with several international news organisations including with Reuters. Karelin, a freelance video journalist, has contributed to the Associated Press.
“They will all appeal” their sentences, Ivan Novikov, the lawyer defending Kriger told the reporters. “The sentence is unlawful and unjust,” said a second lawyer for Kriger, Yelena Sheremetyeva.
“No evidence was presented that these guys committed any crimes, their guilt was not proven,” Gabov’s lawyer Irina Biryukova said.
Navalny was a vocal critic of Vladimir Putin and his policies and fiercely fought against corruption in Russia. He died last year in February while serving a 19-year sentence in an Arctic prison colony — which many of his defenders said was aimed at silencing him.
The press secretary of Navalny’s widow Yulia, Kira Yarmysh, wrote on X: “Antonina, Artem, Sergei and Konstantin are real journalists and just honest, brave people. They should be released immediately.” She said that they were being punished for doing their job.
One of the four journalists, Favorskaya, has said at an earlier court appearance that she was being targetted for doing a story on the abuse Navalny faced in prison.
Gabov called the accusations groundless and said in his closing statement — which was also published by Novaya Gazeta newspaper: “I understand perfectly well (…) what kind of country I live in. Throughout history, Russia has never been different, there is nothing new in the current situation. Independent journalism is equated to extremism.”
Karelin said in his closing arguments that he had done street interviews for a YouTube channel, Popular Politics, founded by Navalny’s associates. He claimed that the channel was not labelled “extremist” and that he had done nothing wrong.
“Remorse is considered to be a mitigating circumstance. It’s the criminals who need to have remorse for what they did. But I am in prison for my work, for the honest and impartial attitude to journalism, FOR THE LOVE for my family and country,” he wrote in a separate speech for the court that also was published by Novaya Gazeta.
Kriger, in a closing statement published by SotaVision, said that he was being targeted “only because I have conscientiously carried out my professional duties as an honest, incorruptible and independent journalist for 4 1/2 years”.
“Don’t despair guys, sooner or later it will end and those who delivered the sentence will go behind bars,” Kriger said after the verdict.
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