A Russian court sentenced four extremism journalists on Tuesday, April 15 for working for an anti -corruption group founded by the late opposition Alexei Navalny and sentenced them to 5.5 years in prison each. Antonina favorkaya, Kostantin Gabov, Sergey Karelin and Artyom Kriger were declared guilty of participating with a group that had been labeled as an extremist. The four maintained their innocence, arguing that they were being prosecuted for doing their job as journalists.
The closed door trial was part of a relentless offensive against the dissent that has reached an unprecedented scale after Moscow sent troops to Ukraine in February 2022. The authorities have attacked opposition figures, independent journalists, activists for the critical ordinary rights and russians of the Kremlin with prosecution, chained one hundred and hundreds of hundreds. to avoid prosecutors in fiscal.
Favorskaya and Kriger worked with Sotission, an independent Russian media that covers protests and political judgments. Gabov is an independent producer who has worked for multiple organizations, including Reuters. Karelin, an independent video journalist, has worked for Western media, including Associated Press. Favorskaya said in an appearance in the previous court open to the public that was being prosecuted for a story that made about the abuse that Navalny faced the bars of Beind.
The four journalists were accused of working with the Navalny Foundation to combat corruption, which was designated as extremist and forbidden in 2021 in a widely seen movement as a motivated politician. Navalny was the most fierce and most prominent enemy of President Vladimir Putin and campaigns in front of official corruption in Russia. While serving a 19 -year sentence for several positions, including the management of an extremist group, which had rejected as politically promoted.
‘Independent journalism is equated with extremism’
Gabov, in a closing statement prepared for the Court that was published by the independent newspaper of Novaya Gazeta, said that the accusations against him had no foundation and the Prosecutor’s Office could not prove them. “I understand perfectly well … in what kind of living country. Through history, Russia has never been different, there is nothing new in the current situation,” Gabov said in the statement. “Independent journalism is equated with extremism.”
In a statement, Karelin prepared for his final arguments that was also published by Novaya GazetaHe said he conducted interviews for popular politics, a YouTube channel founded by Navalny’s associates, while trying to keep his wife and a small child. The stressed that the channel was not prohibited as an extremist and that he had not done anything illegal.
“The remorse is a consultant to be an attenuating circumstance. It is the criminals who need to make a remorse for what they do. But I am in prison for my work, for the honest and impartial attitude towards journalism, for the love of my family and my country,” hears the country for the Kountry for tea, the outlet, in which he emphasized his feelings in the capital.
Kriger, in a Closing Statement Published by Sotission, Said He was imprisoned and added to the russian Financial Intelligence’s Registry of Extremes and Terrorists “Only Becoaus I have conscientious carried out my professional duties an honest, incorcorruptententente, Incorptentantentent, honestandent, honesty, honesty, for -desigentantententantnt, honesty, forgendententigentist, honesty, honesty, honesty.
]
