Russian journalists imprisoned over ties to Navalny group

• Four journalists, Antonina Favorska, Sergei Karelin, Konstantin Gabov, and Artem Kriger, were sentenced. They were accused of having ties with the Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK).
• Why were they sentenced? They were accused of participating in the activities of an "extremist organization," as FBK, founded by Alexei Navalny, was deemed.
• What were the circumstances of the trial? The trial was held behind closed doors, and details of the investigation were not disclosed.

A court in Moscow sentenced four journalists to 5.5 years in prison for alleged links to the Anti-Corruption Foundation, founded by Alexei Navalny. The Russian opposition leader died on February 16, 2024, in the Polar Wolf penal colony, located just 40 miles north of the Arctic Circle.

The journalists, including Antonina Favorska, Sergei Karelin, Konstantin Gabov, and Artem Kriger, were accused of participating in the activities of an "extremist organization." The investigation details are unknown, and the trial was held behind closed doors.

Before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Favorska was involved with the theater. After the outbreak of the war, she became engaged in helping Ukrainian refugees as a volunteer. She then joined the independent portal Sotavision, where she reported on opposition leaders' trials. She was present at almost all court sessions related to complaints that Navalny, incarcerated in the labor camp, filed against prison authorities. A month before his death, she traveled to the town of Kharp beyond the Arctic Circle, where Navalny was imprisoned, to shoot a report.

She was the author of the last video recording showing Navalny a day before his death on February 16, 2024. The opposition leader participated in a February 15, 2024, court session via video link.

In March 2024, Favorska was detained and sentenced to administrative arrest, and subsequently accused of participating in an extremist organization, including collecting and editing materials for the Anti-Corruption Foundation.

Gabov, who worked with Reuters as a freelancer and with Deutsche Welle, was detained in April 2024. He was accused of participating in the preparation of materials published on the Navalny Live channel on YouTube. In his closing statement, he emphasized that only one material was attributed to his authorship, but it was not proven that he received a commission or payment from FBK. He explained that he always acted legally, defending the right to freedom of thought and speech, and his work was about giving a voice to those who could not be heard and reporting critical social events. Gabov reported, among other things, the liquidation of the Memorial Association by Russian authorities, the closure of the Sakharov Center, and the Moscow Helsinki Group.

Karelin, a cameraman detained in April 2024, was accused of preparing several videos for FBK. He collaborated with the Associated Press and Deutsche Welle, holding official accreditation from the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In his closing statement, he explained that after the Russian invasion, he had to seek other journalistic work and, after consulting with a lawyer, he took a job for the Popular Politics channel on YouTube. He stated that he was imprisoned for his professional activities, an honest and unbiased journalism approach, and love for his family and country. He could have left Russia, but decided to stay in his homeland, where in March 2022 his daughter was born. He expressed concern that his child might become a victim of political repression, similar to the children repressed in the 1930s.

Kriger, who worked for Sotavision covering demonstrations and trials in Moscow, is 24. He was arrested on June 18, 2024, and accused of links with FBK. The journalist claimed that he was being tried for conducting street interviews. In his closing statement, he stressed that he would never believe in the accusations the prison, investigative, prosecutorial, and judicial system attempts to impose on him, that he is an extremist and a criminal. He added that he would never believe it, until his last breath and heartbeat.