A Russian court has each sentenced extremism to five and a half years in prison, with four journalists convicted of extremism for 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 claim that they are innocent and that they are being charged with doing their job as journalists.
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.
He died in an Arctic prison in February 2024, but was sentenced to 19 years in prison on numerous charges, including running an extremist group.
Favorskaya said in a previous court appearance that she was being charged with navalny’s story of abuse she faced behind the bar.
Talking to reporters from the defendant’s cage before the verdict, she also said she was punished for helping to organize Navalny’s funeral.
In the final statement prepared for the court, released by the independent Novaya Gazeta newspaper, Gabov said the charges against him were unfounded and the prosecution failed to prove them.
“I fully understand… what country do I live in? Throughout history, Russia has never been different. There is nothing new in the current situation,” Gabov said in a statement. “Independent journalism is on par with extremism.”
In a statement prepared for his closing discussion, published by Novaya Gazeta, Karelin said he agreed to do a street interview for Popular Politics, a YouTube channel that is about to provide his wife and young children.
He emphasized that the channel was not banned as an extremist and did not do anything illegal.
“Regret is seen as a mitigation situation. It is criminals who need to regret what they did. But I am in prison for my work, for my honest and fair attitude towards journalism, for my love for my family and country.”
Kriger said in the last statement issued by Sotavision that he was imprisoned and added to the register of extremists and terrorists in Russia’s financial intelligence.
“Don’t despair, sooner or later it will be over, and the person who delivers the text will go behind the bar,” Krigger said after the verdict.
Supporters gathered in the court building were chanted and praised as four journalists were led by the court after the verdict.
The journalist’s lawyer said Krigger’s lawyer, Yelena Sheremetyeva, will appeal to the verdict that is said to be “illegal and unfair.”
“The profession of the journalist itself is not extremist,” said Irina Biryokova. “And based on available case materials, we would say there is no evidence that the men committed crimes, or even minor crimes, in our opinion.”
She said the four were “holding up” and “were happy that so many people had come.”
The closure trial was part of a crackdown on dissent that reached an unprecedented scale after Moscow launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Authorities targeted opposition, independent journalists, rights activists and Russians critical of the Kremlin, imprisoning hundreds and urged thousands to flee the country.
The Russian Human Rights Group Memorial has designated all four as political prisoners.
