Prosecutors ask for nearly 6-year sentences for Russian journalists in Moscow trial

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Russian prosecutors on Thursday asked for nearly 6-year prison sentences for each of four Russian journalists on charges of working for an anti-corruption group founded by the late Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny that was designated by authorities as extremist.

Antonina Favorskaya, Artyom Kriger, Sergey Karelin and Konstantin Gabov were arrested last year and charged with involvement with an extremist group, which they have rejected.

Prosecutors asked the court to sentence each of them to 5 years and 11 months during closing arguments at Moscow's Nagatinsky District Court.

Their closed-doors trial is part of the Russian authorities' unrelenting crackdown on dissent that has reached an unprecedented scale after Moscow sent troops into Ukraine in February 2022. The authorities have targeted opposition figures, independent journalists, rights activists and ordinary Russians critical of the Kremlin, jailing hundreds and prompting thousands to flee the country to avoid prosecution.

The four journalists were accused of working with Navalny’s Foundation for Fighting Corruption, which was designated as extremist and outlawed in 2021 in a move widely seen as politically motivated.

Navalny was President Vladimir Putin’s fiercest and most prominent foe and relentlessly campaigned against official corruption in Russia. In February 2024, Navalny died in a remote Arctic prison while serving a 19-year sentence on a number of charges, including running an extremist group, which he had rejected as politically driven.

Favorskaya and Kriger worked with SotaVision, an independent Russian news outlet that covers protests and political trials. Gabov is a freelance producer who has worked for multiple organizations, including Reuters. Karelin, a freelance video journalist, has done work for Western media outlets, including The Associated Press.