Repression of the anti-Putin press intensifies after Navalny’s death: Five Russian journalists were arrested in the middle of the night VIDEO

Five journalists working for independent media were arrested on Wednesday evening and Thursday in Russia, where the repression against any challenge to power is increasing, reports AFP.

During the night, the police arrested Ekaterina Anikievici from the SOTAvision media and Konstantin Jarov from RusNews, reported the NGO OVD-Info, specialized in tracking the repression in Russia.

Jarov was beaten and threatened with sexual violence by the police, according to a witness of the scene, quoted by this organization.

“They kicked me, put a foot on my head, bent my fingers, made fun of me when I tried to get up,” Jarov said, quoted by his RusNews media. He said that he was injured in the head, that he has scratches, dislocated and sprained fingers.

According to Jarov, this violence was provoked by a video taken near his home by another journalist, Antonina Favorskaia from SOTAvision, who was also arrested on Wednesday evening, immediately after being released after ten days of administrative detention for disobedience in front of the police.

This journalist’s apartment was searched on Wednesday evening, as well as her parents’, her lawyer Mihail Biriukov announced, quoted by SOTAvision.

Two other journalists, Aleksandra Astahova and Anastasia Musatova, who came to meet their colleague upon her release from detention, were also arrested and taken to be questioned by investigators, according to the same source.

According to the Mediazona website, which specializes in tracking judicial affairs, the case against Favorskaia is related to the activities of the movement of the opponent Aleksei Navalnyi, who died in prison in February. His organizations are classified as “extremist” by the Russian judiciary.

Antonina Favorskaia has been broadcasting for several years since the trials against Aleksei Navalnyi. She is the one who filmed the last video with the opponent still alive, on February 15, during a court hearing.

Favorskaia was arrested on March 17, a few hours after she laid flowers at Navalnyi’s grave, according to Mediazona.