Four journalists who were accused of working for Kremlin foe Navalny are convicted of extremism
The authorities have targeted opposition figures, independent journalists, rights activists, and ordinary Russians critical of the Kremlin with prosecution, jailing hundreds and prompting thousands to flee the country.
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Favorskaya and Kriger worked with SotaVision, an independent Russian news outlet that covers protests and political trials. Gabov is a freelance producer who has worked for multiple organizations, including Reuters. Karelin, a freelance video journalist, has done work for Western media outlets, including The Associated Press.
The four journalists were accused of working with Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation, which was designated as extremist and outlawed in 2021 in a move widely seen as politically motivated.
Navalny was President Vladimir Putin's fiercest and most prominent foe, and relentlessly campaigned against official corruption in Russia. Navalny died in February 2024 in an Arctic penal colony while serving a 19-year sentence on a number of charges, including running an extremist group, which he had rejected as politically driven.
Favorskaya said at an earlier court appearance open to the public that she was being prosecuted for a story she did on abuse Navalny faced behind bars. Speaking to reporters from the defendants' cage before the verdict, she also said she was punished for helping organize Navalny's funeral.
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Gabov, in a closing statement prepared for court and published by the independent Novaya Gazeta newspaper, said the accusations against him were groundless and the prosecution failed to prove them.
'I understand perfectly well ... what kind of country I live in. Throughout history, Russia has never been different, there is nothing new in the current situation,' Gabov said in the statement. 'Independent journalism is equated to extremism.'
Kriger, in a closing statement published by SotaVision, said he was imprisoned and added to the Russian financial intelligence's registry of extremists and terrorists 'only because I have conscientiously carried out my professional duties as an honest, incorruptible, and independent journalist for 4 1/2 years.'
'Don't despair guys, sooner or later it will end and those who delivered the sentence will go behind bars,' Kriger said after the verdict.
Supporters who gathered in the court building chanted and applauded as the four journalists were led out of the courtroom after the verdict.
The journalists' lawyers said they would appeal the verdict.
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