Prosecutors Seek Nearly Six-Year Sentences for Journalists Linked to Alleged Navalny Extremism Charges

Russian prosecutors are aiming to impose sentences of five years and 11 months in prison for four journalists, accusing them of «extremism» related to alleged connections with the late opposition leader Alexei Navalny, as reported by the independent news site Mediazona on Thursday.

Antonina Favorskaya, Konstantin Gabov, Sergei Karelin, and Artyom Kriger—all of whom have reported on Navalny—were arrested last spring and summer for allegedly «participating in an extremist community.»

These journalists face allegations of «collecting materials, creating, and editing videos» for Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK) and the NavalnyLIVE YouTube channel.

Their trial, which commenced in October, is being conducted behind closed doors at the request of the prosecution.

SOTAvision, the independent news organization employing Favorskaya and Kriger, has consistently refuted the charges against them, emphasizing that neither journalist has worked for Navalny’s initiatives.

Gabov is said to have contributed to Reuters, alongside Russian television channels Moskva 24 and MIR, as well as the Belarusian news outlet Belsat. Karelin has done freelance work for the Associated Press.

Favorskaya reported on Navalny’s court cases and recorded the last known footage of the Kremlin critic prior to his death on February 16, 2024, in an Arctic penal facility, where he was serving a 19-year sentence for «extremism» under ambiguous circumstances.

In 2021, Russian authorities designated Navalny’s activist and political groups, including FBK, as «extremist,» endangering the legal standing of employees, volunteers, and supporters.

In January, three former journalists who worked with Navalny were sentenced to prison terms of up to five and a half years on similar «extremist activity» charges.