Four Russian journalists were convicted of extremism and sentenced to 5 1/2 years in prison each for working with an anti-corruption group founded by the late opposition leader Alexei Navalny. The journalists, Antonina Favorskaya, Kostantin Gabov, Sergey Karelin, and Artyom Kriger, maintained their innocence, arguing they were being persecuted for simply doing their jobs. The closed-door trial was part of a crackdown on dissent that escalated after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, resulting in the prosecution and imprisonment of opposition figures, journalists, rights activists, and ordinary Russians critical of the Kremlin.
Favorskaya and Kriger worked with SotaVision, an independent news outlet covering protests and political trials, while Gabov and Karelin were freelance journalists who had worked with various organizations, including Reuters and The Associated Press. The journalists were accused of collaborating with Navalny’s Foundation for Fighting Corruption, which was designated as extremist and outlawed in 2021. Navalny, who was a prominent critic of President Putin and campaigned against corruption, died in 2024 while serving a prison sentence on politically motivated charges.
The conviction of the journalists is seen as part of a broader crackdown on dissent in Russia, where hundreds have been jailed and thousands have fled the country to avoid prosecution. The case highlights the challenges faced by independent journalists and opposition figures in a country where freedom of speech and expression are increasingly under threat.
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