Russia hands four journalists 5.5 years each in Navalny “extremism” case

RU

Moscow’s Nagatinsky District Court sentenced journalists Antonina Favorskaya, Sergey Karelin, Konstantin Gabov, and Artyom Kriger to five years and six months in prison, independent exiled publication Mediazona reported on Tuesday. All four were convicted of “participating” in the activities of the Anti-Corruption Foundation (ACF) — an organization founded by the late opposition leader Alexei Navalny and designated as “extremist” by the Russian authorities.

The verdict was delivered after a closed trial. On April 10, prosecutors requested a sentence of five years and eleven months in a high-security penal colony for each defendant. The maximum penalty under the article applied to the case is six years of imprisonment.

The first to be detained was SotaVision journalist Antonina Favorskaya, who was arrested on March 17, 2024, after visiting Alexei Navalny’s grave at Borisovskoye Cemetery. According to a statement from the Moscow court’s press office, Favorskaya was prosecuted for “collecting material, producing and editing videos and publications for [the] ACF.” As reported by the independent outlet Mediazona, during one of the hearings, Favorskaya said that she was being tried “for an article about how [Russia’s] Federal Penitentiary Service tortured Alexei Navalny.” In a later letter to colleagues, she also said she was being prosecuted for helping organize Navalny’s funeral.

In April 2024, the court also arrested Konstantin Gabov, a producer with the international news agency Reuters. According to the prosecution, Gabov “participated in the preparations of photo and video materials” for the NavalnyLIVE YouTube channel. Shortly after, Sergey Karelin, a freelance video journalist who had done work for the Associated Press (AP) and the German public broadcaster Deutsche Welle (DW), was also detained.

In June 2024, SotaVision journalist Artyom Kriger was placed in pretrial detention on similar charges stemming from his alleged collaboration with the ACF.

At a court session on April 10 court session, all four journalists gave their final statements, excerpts of which were published by the independent publications Novaya Gazeta and SotaVision. The Insider presents selected quotes from their speeches below:

Konstantin Gabov:

“Even behind bars, I am convinced that the events and problems in Russia must be reported from within the country. Working under such extreme conditions is hard — but possible. And most importantly, it’s necessary.”

Artyom Kriger:

“In September 2022, I was detained during a livestream in central Moscow on Smolenskaya Square. Later, Judge Korolyova from the Golovinsky District Court sentenced me to administrative detention. By the time I was placed in the special detention center, where I spent five days, I had already been working in media for two and a half years. That arrest was a clear message from the state, personally directed at me: Artyom, we’re not exactly thrilled with what you’re doing. Stop it. Take some time to think it over.’ And I did think it over. I had plenty of time. Back then, in September 2022, I made a decision: I would not leave Russia. I would stay, regain my freedom, and return to work with triple the determination!”

Sergey Karelin:

“I never imagined that my child would also become a victim of political repression, like the children of those who were persecuted in the 1930s... Can you imagine that happening to your own children?”

According to SotaVision, both of their journalists — Favorskaya and Kriger — never collaborated with the Anti-Corruption Foundation.