Overview

• Four journalists—Antonina Favorskaya, Konstantin Gabov, Sergey Karelin, and Artyom Kriger—were sentenced to five-and-a-half years in a penal colony for alleged ties to Alexei Navalny's outlawed Anti-Corruption Foundation.
• The charges stem from accusations that the journalists created content for Navalny's foundation, which was designated as extremist in 2021, though all four maintain their innocence and assert they were targeted for independent reporting.
• The trial, held behind closed doors, is part of a broader crackdown on dissent and press freedom in Russia, which has escalated since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
• Navalny, a prominent Kremlin critic, died in February 2024 under controversial circumstances while serving a 19-year prison sentence, further fueling accusations of political persecution.
• International organizations and human rights groups have condemned the sentences, labeling them politically motivated and a severe blow to press freedom in Russia.