Russian journalists jailed on extremism charges for working for Alexei Navalny’s group, critical of Vladimir Putin

Two Russian journalists arrested by their government on “extremism” charges and courts there on Saturday ordered their detention pending investigation and trial on charges of working for a group founded by late Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny. Had ordered.

Both Konstantin Gabov and Sergei Karlin denied the charges for which they would be detained for at least two months before any trials could begin. 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.

They are the latest journalists arrested amid the Russian government’s crackdown on dissent and independent media, which intensified after its full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than two years ago. The Russian government passed legislation criminalizing false information about the military or statements that defame the military, effectively outlawing any criticism of the war in Ukraine or speech that deviates from the official narrative.

Sergei Mingazov, a journalist for the Russian edition of Forbes magazine, was detained on charges of spreading misinformation about the Russian military, his lawyer said on Friday.

Gabov and Karlin are accused of producing content for a YouTube channel run by Navalny’s Foundation for Fighting Corruption, which Russian authorities have outlawed. Navalny died in an Arctic penal colony in February.

The court press service said Gabov, who was detained in Moscow, is a freelance producer who has worked for several organizations, including Reuters. Reuters had no immediate comment on the court’s decision.

Karelin, who has dual citizenship of Israel, was detained in Russia’s northern Murmansk region on Friday night.

Carlin, 41, has worked for several outlets, including the Associated Press. He was a cameraman for German media outlet Deutsche Welle until the Kremlin banned the outlet from operating in Russia in February 2022.

“The Associated Press is deeply concerned by the detention of Russian video journalist Sergei Karlin,” the AP said in a statement. “We are seeking additional information.”

Russia’s crackdown on dissent aims to target opposition figures, journalists, activists, members of the LGBTQ+ community and ordinary Russians who criticize the Kremlin. Several journalists have been jailed in connection with their coverage of Navalny, including Antonina Favorskaya, who remains in pre-trial detention until at least May 28 after a hearing last month.

Favorskaya was detained by Russian authorities on charges of participating in an “extremist organization” by posting on the Navalny Foundation’s social media platforms. He covered Navalny’s court hearings for years and filmed Navalny’s last video before he died in a penal colony.

Navalny spokeswoman Kira Yarmysh said that Favorskaya did not publish anything on the foundation’s platforms and suggested that Russian authorities had targeted her because she was doing her job as a journalist.

Ivan Gershkovich, a 32-year-old American reporter for The Wall Street Journal, awaits trial on espionage charges in Moscow’s notorious Lefortovo prison. Both Gershkovich and his employer have vehemently denied the allegations.

Gershkovich was detained during a reporting trip in March 2023 and has spent more than a year in prison; Authorities have not said what, if any, evidence they have to support the spying allegations.

The US government has declared Gershkovich wrongly 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 in prison.

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