The two journalists arrested in Russia, Konstantin Gabov and Sergei Karelin, face at least two years in prison on charges of “extremism”, which they deny, amid an ongoing crackdown on dissent. They are accused of working for Aleksei Navalnyi’s Anti-Corruption Foundation.
Two Russian journalists have been arrested on charges of “extremism” and will remain in custody pending investigation and trial, on charges that they worked for the Foundation of the late Russian opposition politician Aleksei Navalny, writes The Guardian.
Konstantin Gabov and Sergei Karelin have both denied the charges for which they were detained at least two months before any investigations began. Each faces a minimum of two years in prison and a maximum of six years for alleged “participation in an extremist organization,” according to Russian courts.
The two are just the latest journalists to be arrested amid the Russian government’s crackdown on dissent and independent media, which has intensified since the large-scale invasion of Ukraine more than two years ago.
The government in Moscow has passed laws criminalizing what it considers false information about the military or statements deemed to discredit the military, effectively banning any criticism of the war in Ukraine or speech that deviates from the official narrative.
A journalist for the Russian edition of Forbes magazine, Sergei Mingazov, has been detained on charges of spreading false information about the Russian military, his lawyer said on Friday.
Gabov and Karelin are accused of preparing materials for a YouTube channel run by the Anti-Corruption Foundation, which was outlawed by Russian authorities. Navalny died in a penal colony in February.
Gabov, who was detained in Moscow, is a freelance producer who has worked for several organizations, including Reuters, a press release said.
Karelin, who has dual Russian and Israeli citizenship, was detained late Friday in the Murmansk region of northern Russia.
Karelin, 41, has worked for a number of publications and news agencies, including the Associated Press. He was a cameraman for Deutsche Welle until the Kremlin banned the agency from operating in Russia in February 2022.
“The Associated Press is deeply concerned about the detention of Russian journalist Sergei Karelin,” the news agency said in a statement. “We are looking for additional information.”
Russia’s crackdown on dissent targets opposition figures, journalists, activists, members of the LGBTQ+ community and ordinary Russians critical of the Kremlin. A number of journalists have been jailed in connection with their coverage of Navalny, including Antonina Favorskaia, who remains in pre-trial detention until at least May 28 after a hearing last month.
Favorskaia was detained and charged by Russian authorities for participating in an “extremist organization” through a post on the Navalnyi Foundation’s social media platforms. She reported on Navalny for years and filmed the last video of him before he died in the penal colony.
Kira Iarmiș, Navalny’s spokesman, said Favorskaia had not published anything on the Foundation’s platforms and suggested that Russian authorities targeted her because she was doing her job as a journalist.
Evan Gershkovich, a 32-year-old American reporter for the Wall Street Journal, is awaiting trial on espionage charges in Moscow’s notorious Lefortovo prison. Both Gershkovich and his employer have vehemently denied the allegations.
Gershkovich was detained last March during a reporting trip and spent more than a year in prison. Authorities have not detailed what, if any, evidence they have to support the espionage allegations.
The US government has declared Gershkovich wrongfully detained, with officials accusing Moscow of using the journalist as a pawn for political purposes.
The Russian government has also cracked down on opposition figures. A prominent activist, Vladimir Kara-Murza, was sentenced to 25 years.
Publisher: MI
Tags: Russian journalists arrested extremism accused working Aleksei Navalnys Foundation
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