A Moscow court has sentenced four Russian journalists to 5 1/2 years in prison each for their involvement with the Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK) of the late opposition leader Aleksei Navalny, which has been labeled an “extremist organization” by Russian authorities.
The journalists—Antonina Favorskaya, Sergei Karelin, Konstantin Gabov, and Artyom Kriger—were convicted following a closed trial for contributing to FBK-affiliated YouTube channels before the organization was banned in 2021.
The court’s verdict also prohibits the journalists from working as journalists for three years after their release.
The trial, which began in October 2024, was held behind closed doors, with the verdict reading the only public part of the proceedings. The prosecution had sought a six-year sentence for each defendant. During the hearing, Kriger assured his supporters: “Everything will be okay… Those who sentenced me will for sure be convicted themselves.”
The case highlights a wider crackdown on independent journalism and opposition figures following the controversial death of Navalny in February 2024 while serving a prison sentence that many considered politically motivated.
Favorskaya and Kriger work for SOTAVision, a “foreign agent” media outlet, while Gabov and Karelin have contributed to international organizations like Reuters, Associated Press, and Radio Liberty. Gabov, in his final court statement, emphasized the importance of independent journalism in Russia: “Independent journalism is equated with extremism.”
Human rights organizations have condemned the sentences, stating they reflect the broader suppression of free speech in Russia.
