A Russian court sentenced the extremist journalists to five and a half years each, each of whom were convicted of working in an anti-corruption group founded by late opposition leader Alexei Navalny.
Antonina Favlskaya, Kostantin Gabov, Sergei Karelin and Artyom Kriger were convicted of involvement with groups labeled as extremists. All four claimed that they were innocent and that they were being charged with working as journalists.
The closure trial was part of a ruthless crackdown on dissent that reached an unprecedented scale after Moscow sent troops to Ukraine in February 2022.
Authorities have urged opposition, independent journalists, rights activists and Russians critical of the Kremlin to jail hundreds and thousands to flee the country to avoid charges.
Favorskaya and Kriger collaborated with Sotavision, an independent Russian news outlet that covers protests and political trials. Gabov is a freelance producer who has worked for several organizations, including Reuters. Freelance video journalist Karelin worked for Western media outlets, including The Associated Press.
The four journalists were accused of working with the Navalny Foundation to fight corruption. It was designated as an extremist and banned in 2021 in a move that was widely seen as politically motivated.
Navany was President Vladimir Putin’s fierce enemy and most prominent enemy, and was relentlessly campaigning against official Russian corruption.
Navalny died in a prison colony in the Arctic in February 2024 and was sentenced to 19 years in prison on numerous charges, including running an extremist group.
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