Overview

• The Moscow court found Antonina Favorskaya, Konstantin Gabov, Sergey Karelin, and Artyom Kriger guilty of extremism for alleged links to Alexei Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation, outlawed in 2021.
• All four journalists denied the charges, asserting they were prosecuted for their independent reporting and not for extremist activities.
• The trial, held behind closed doors, is part of an intensified Kremlin campaign against dissent following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine and Navalny's death in February 2024.
• Favorskaya and Kriger worked for the independent outlet SotaVision, while Gabov and Karelin contributed to international media like Reuters and the Associated Press.
• The sentencing has drawn widespread international condemnation, with human rights groups and media organizations labeling it a severe blow to press freedom in Russia.