Latest news with #SOTAvision
Russia Today
16-04-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
Journalists linked to Navalny jailed
A Moscow court has sentenced four Russian journalists from Reuters, the Associated Press, and SOTAvision to five and a half years in prison each on extremism charges. They were found guilty of working for an extremist group founded by the late Russian opposition figure Alexey Navalny. Antonina Favorskaya, Artyom Kriger, Konstantin Gabov, and Sergey Karelin were detained last year on charges of collecting materials and producing and editing videos for Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK), and the NavalnyLIVE YouTube channel. The organizations are considered 'extremist' and banned in Russia. Moscow's Nagatinsky District Court found the journalists guilty of 'participating in an extremist group.' The court also imposed a three-year ban on journalists from managing or operating websites. The court held the trial behind closed doors, but allowed observers to attend the sentencing on Tuesday. Among those present at the hearing were representatives from the embassies of Australia, Luxembourg, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, the US, the Netherlands, and the EU Delegation in Russia. READ MORE: Navalny's former lawyers sentenced to prison in Russia According to prosecutors, Favorskaya, 35, was collecting materials, producing and editing videos and publications for the FBK – charges she has denied, calling them 'absurd.' Kriger, 24, was convicted on similar charges. SOTAvision, the employer of Favorskaya and Kriger, has consistently rejected the accusations, stating that neither journalist has ever worked for Navalny's organizations. Gabov, 38, reportedly worked as a freelance journalist for Reuters, as well as the Russian TV channels Moskva 24 and MIR, and the Belarusian news agency Belsat. Karelin, 42, contributed to the Associated Press. Earlier this year, three of Navalny's former lawyers were found guilty of helping the opposition figure lead an extremist group from prison and were sentenced to three and a half to five and a half years behind bars. Navalny was serving a 19-year prison sentence on multiple extremism-related charges when he died in prison in February 2024.
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
France urges release of jailed Russian journalists who covered Navalny
France on Wednesday urged Russia to immediately release four journalists sentenced to long prison terms for their association with the late opposition leader Alexei Navalny. Navalny -- Putin's main opponent -- was declared an "extremist" by Russian authorities, a ruling that remains in force despite his death in an Arctic penal colony on February 16, 2024. Moscow also banned Navalny's organisations as "extremist" shortly before launching its 2022 Ukraine offensive and has ruthlessly targeted those it deems to have links to him. "France condemns the five-and-a-half-year prison sentences handed down yesterday," French foreign ministry spokesman Christophe Lemoine said. A judge sentenced the reporters -- Antonina Kravtsova, Konstantin Gabov, Sergei Karelin, and Artem Kriger -- who all covered Navalny to "five years and six months in a general-regime penal colony", an AFP journalist heard. "The 'trial of the journalists' is a new demonstration by the Russian authorities to repress any dissenting opinion and intimidate those who attempt to document the human rights violations for which the Russian government is responsible," he said. "France is calling for the immediate and unconditional release of all those prosecuted for political reasons and for Russia to respect its international commitments regarding the right to information and access to information," Lemoine added. Kravtsova, 35, is a journalist who worked for the independent SOTAvision outlet. Gabov, 38, collaborated with Reuters and other foreign outlets, while 42-year-old Karelin, who is also an Israeli citizen, with the Associated Press and Deutsche Welle. Kriger, 24, the youngest among the accused, covered political trials and protests for SOTAvision. as/ah/jm
Arab News
16-04-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
France urges release of jailed Russian journalists who covered Navalny
PARIS: France on Wednesday urged Russia to immediately release four journalists sentenced to long prison terms for their association with the late opposition leader Alexei Navalny. Navalny – Putin's main opponent – was declared an 'extremist' by Russian authorities, a ruling that remains in force despite his death in an Arctic penal colony on February 16, 2024. Moscow also banned Navalny's organizations as 'extremist' shortly before launching its 2022 Ukraine offensive and has ruthlessly targeted those it deems to have links to him. 'France condemns the five-and-a-half-year prison sentences handed down yesterday,' French foreign ministry spokesman Christophe Lemoine said. A judge sentenced the reporters – Antonina Kravtsova, Konstantin Gabov, Sergei Karelin, and Artem Kriger – who all covered Navalny to 'five years and six months in a general-regime penal colony,' an AFP journalist heard. 'The 'trial of the journalists' is a new demonstration by the Russian authorities to repress any dissenting opinion and intimidate those who attempt to document the human rights violations for which the Russian government is responsible,' he said. 'France is calling for the immediate and unconditional release of all those prosecuted for political reasons and for Russia to respect its international commitments regarding the right to information and access to information,' Lemoine added. Kravtsova, 35, is a journalist who worked for the independent SOTAvision outlet. Gabov, 38, collaborated with Reuters and other foreign outlets, while 42-year-old Karelin, who is also an Israeli citizen, with the Associated Press and Deutsche Welle. Kriger, 24, the youngest among the accused, covered political trials and protests for SOTAvision.
Japan Times
16-04-2025
- Politics
- Japan Times
Russian journalists jailed for 5-1/2 years for alleged extremist ties to Navalny
Four Russian journalists were sentenced by a Moscow court to 5-1/2 years each in prison on Tuesday after being found guilty of working for the banned organization of the late opposition leader Alexei Navalny. Antonina Favorskaya, Sergei Karelin, Konstantin Gabov and Artem Kriger have been on trial behind closed doors since October on charges, which they deny, of belonging to an extremist group. Prosecutors said they created materials for the YouTube channel of Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK), which is banned in Russia as a "foreign agent" and an extremist organization. Russia has intensified pressure on domestic and foreign reporters since the start of its war in Ukraine. Supporters of the accused journalists said the trial was aimed at intimidating the press and punishing reporters for doing their jobs. Navalny, the most prominent opponent of President Vladimir Putin, had spent years denouncing corruption in the Russian elite. He died suddenly in an Arctic penal colony last year while serving a long sentence on corruption and extremism charges, which he denied. Despite claims by Yulia Navalnaya, Navalny's wife, that he was murdered, Russia's investigative committee in 2024 told her it had concluded that Navalny's death was caused by a "combination of diseases." The Kremlin also has strongly rejected his supporters' accusation that Putin had him murdered. U.S. intelligence agencies later determined Putin likely did not order his death, the Wall Street Journal and the Associated Press reported. Before the sentences were read out, media were allowed briefly to film the accused journalists as they stood in handcuffs behind a glass screen. "Everything will be fine. I see how the dynamics are developing. I give this regime another year, another year and a half at most," Kriger said. Karelin said: "I hope my daughter will be proud of me." Neither the court nor prosecutors responded to requests for comment. Karelin and Gabov are freelancers who have worked for a variety of news organizations including, respectively, the AP and Reuters. Favorskaya and Kriger both work for SOTAvision, an independent outlet that has also been designated a foreign agent. Favorskaya recorded the last video of Navalny taking part in a court hearing the day before he died. "Konstantin Gabov is a freelance journalist who between 2022 and 2024 occasionally contributed to Reuters as a desk producer, editing video and scripting stories assigned to him. We have no evidence that shows the charges against him relate to his freelance work at Reuters," a spokesperson for the Reuters news agency said. "Reuters is deeply committed to freedom of the press and opposes the imprisonment of any journalist for doing their job. Journalists must be free to report the news in the public interest without fear of harassment or harm, wherever they are." The Associated Press did not immediately reply to a request for comment. Alexandra Ageeva, the founder of SOTAvision, who is listed by Russia as a foreign agent, said the sentences were expected. "Huge prison terms were handed down to journalists who were simply doing their jobs. It is terrible,' Ageeva said.
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Russia jails four journalists who covered Navalny
Russia on Tuesday sentenced four journalists it said were associated with late opposition leader Alexei Navalny to five and a half years in a penal colony, intensifying a crackdown on press freedom and Kremlin critics. Navalny -- Putin's main opponent -- was declared an "extremist" by Russian authorities, a ruling that remains in force despite his death in an Arctic penal colony on February 16, 2024. Moscow also banned Navalny's organisations as "extremist" shortly before launching its 2022 Ukraine offensive and has ruthlessly targeted those it deems to have links to him. A judge sentenced the reporters -- Antonina Kravtsova, Konstantin Gabov, Sergei Karelin, and Artem Kriger -- who all covered Navalny to "five years and six months in a general-regime penal colony", an AFP journalist heard. They were found guilty of "participating in an extremist group" after being arrested last year. The trial proceeded behind closed doors at Moscow's Nagatinsky district court with only the sentencing open to the media, as has become typical for political cases in Russia amid its Ukraine offensive. Around a hundred supporters, journalists and Western diplomats came to the court for the verdicts. Supporters cheered and clapped as the defendants were led in. Since Navalny's still unexplained death in an Arctic prison last year, Russian authorities have heavily targeted his family and associates. In January, three lawyers who had defended him in court were sentenced to several years in prison. Moscow has also escalated its decade-long crackdown on independent media amid its military offensive on Ukraine. Shortly after ordering troops into Ukraine in 2022, Moscow passed sweeping military censorship laws that ban criticism of its army, forcing most of the country's independent media to leave the country. - 'Pay with my freedom' - The journalists sentenced on Tuesday rejected the charges of being associated with an extremist group. Kravtsova, 34, is a photographer who worked for the independent SOTAvision outlet and uses the pen name Antonina Favorskaya. She had covered Navalny's trials for two years and filmed his last appearance via video-link in court just two days before his death. Video correspondents Gabov and Karelin are accused of preparing photos and video material for Navalny's social media channels. Both had worked at times with international outlets -- Gabov with Reuters and Karelin with the Associated Press and Deutsche Welle. Kriger, 24, the youngest among the accused, covered political trials and protests for SOTAvision. After the verdict, he said in court: "Everything will be fine, Everything will change. Those who sentenced me will be sitting here instead of me." As he spoke a supporter shouted: "You are the pride of Russia!". In their final statements, published by independent media outlets, the journalists slammed the case against them and the state of press freedom in Russia. "Engaging in independent journalism is now equated with extremism," Gabov said in his last statement to the court, the Meduza site reported. Kriger told the court: "I did not want to flee and be afraid, I wanted to insist that it was possible and necessary to do journalism in Russia," according to a transcript posted by SOTAVision. "If I have to pay for that belief with my freedom or my life, I am willing to do it," he said. bur/sbk
