Four journalists who are connected to Navalny are condemned in Moscow

Four journalists who are connected to Navalny are condemned in Moscow

Four journalists who are connected to the late Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny were sentenced to five years and six months in a criminal colony on Tuesday. They were accused of working for a banned organization led by the Kremlin critic, reported the Russian state news agency TASS.

The convicted journalists

Die Reporter - Antonina Favorkaya, Sergei Karelin, Konstantin Gabov and Artem Kriger - have been on trial in a closed procedure since October. They are accused of belonging to an “extremist” group founded by Navalny in 2011, but they deny.

allegations and legal basis

The public prosecutor claimed that the four journalists had produced material for the YouTube channel of the Anti-corruption Foundation (FBK) of Navalny, which is banned in the country in accordance with the "Law on Foreign Agents". Amnesty International has warned that this "repressive" legislation is an "attack on freedom of assembly" in Russia, where Moscow makes increasing attempts to suppress journalists under censor laws.

memory of Navalny

In February, mourners gathered at the grave of Navalny in the Russian capital to commemorate the first anniversary of his death in prison. According to Human Rights Watch (HRW) and other human rights organizations, dozens of people were arrested at memorial events.

navalny and his political legacy

In the course of his impressive political career, Navalny ensured some of the largest anti-government protests in recent years and has revealed corruption to Russia's highest power position, especially through the work of the FBK.

circumstances of the death of Navalny

Navalny suddenly died on February 16, 2024 at the age of 47, while he was sitting a 19-year-old prison for extremism that he had contested. At the time, Russia's detention center claimed that he had "felt uncomfortable after a walk". But Navalny's wife, Yulia Navalnaya, and former US President Joe Biden have long been responsible for Russian President Vladimir Putin for his death. Moscow rejected these accusations.

attempts by the Russian authorities to repay navalny's legacy

The Russian authorities have tried to wipe out “Navalny's political legacy” with their “comprehensive arsenal repressive means”, according to HRW, who described the arrests on the first anniversary of his death as “only the top of the iceberg” in the continued persecution of its supporters.