Moscow. The court convicted four Russian journalists. The European Commission reacts

The court in Moscow sentenced four independent journalists to punishment for over five years in prison. They were accused of relationships with the foundation founded by Alexei Navalny. The details of the investigation are not known, and the process took place behind closed doors. The European Commission responded to events in Moscow.

Antonina Faworska, Sergei Karelin, Konstantin Gabow and Artiom Kriger are convicted by the Russian court. All accused were to participate in the activities of an “extremist organization”, for which the Foundation against Corruption (FBK) was found, founded by famous oppositionist Alexei Navalny. Investigators claimed that journalists participated in the preparation of FBK materials, but none of them pleaded guilty.

Navalny organized anti -government demonstrations in Russia and openly opposed Putin's rule. He was arrested in January 2021 at the Moscow airport when he returned from Germanwhere he was treated after trying to poison. He died in February 2024 in the criminal colony in the Jamal-Nieniecki Autonomous District in the north of Russia.

Read also: UN: The lives of over two thousand political prisoners in Russia are seriously threatened

Who are the convicts?

Faworska before the Russian invasion of Ukraine She took care of the theater. After the outbreak of war, she joined volunteers helping refugees from Ukraine. Then she joined the independent portal “Sotavision” and as a journalist she reported the processes of opposition leaders: Ilja Jaszyn, Vladimir Kara-Murzy, defender of human rights Oleg Orłow, as well as artists married Berkowicz and Svetlana Petrijczuk.

She was present at almost all court meetings, which took place in connection with the complaints he had made to the Naval's labor camp against the prison authorities. A month before his death, she went to the town of Charp behind the Arctic Circle (Nawalny was imprisoned in the there) to shoot a report. She was the author of the last video recording, which shows Navalny the day before his death on February 16, 2024. The oppositionist through a video link participated in the court hearing on February 15, 2024.

In March 2024, Faworska was detained and sentenced to administrative detention, and then accused of participating in an extremist organization, in particular of the collection and installation of materials for the Fighting Foundation with Corruption.

Gabow collaborated with the Reuters agency (according to her – in the past, as a freelancer) and the “Deutche Welle” station. He was detained in April 2024. He was accused of participating in the preparation of materials that were published on the “NAWNIAL LIVE” channel on the YouTube platform.

Gabow in the last word emphasized that only in the case of one material it was established that it was his work, but he was not proved that he had received orders or payment for this material from FBK. – I always acted under the law, in accordance with the constitution, defending the right to freedom of thoughts and words. My work was to vote to those who cannot be heard and report important events about social life – said the journalist.

Gabow reported as a reporter, among others, the liquidation of the Memorial Association by the Russian authorities, closing the center of Sakharów and the Moscow Helsinki Group.

Karelin, the operator detained in April 2024, was accused of preparing several videos for FBK. As an operator, he collaborated with the Associated Press and “Deutsche Welle” agency. He performed work for foreign media with official accreditation Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. As he said in the last word, after the Russian invasion he had to look for another journalistic job, and after consulting a lawyer he started working for the “Popular Policy” channel on YouTube. He also stated that he was imprisoned “for his professional activity, honest and impartial approach to journalism, for love for family and country.”

As he said, he could leave Russia, but he chose to stay in his homeland, where in March 2022 his daughter was born. – I never thought that my child would also become a victim of political repression, like children who were repressed in the 1930s – said Karelin at the hearing on April 10 this year.

Kriger worked for Sotavision on demonstrations and trials in Moscow. He is 24 years old. He was arrested on June 18, 2024 and accused of relationships with FBK. The journalist argued that he was actually tried for implementing street probes.

– Nobody will ever force me to start believing in this madness, which I am trying to impose all this prison, investigator, prosecutor and judicial system that I am an extremist, criminal and I should sit, because I broke the law – he said in the last word. He then added: – I will never believe it until the last breath and heartbeat.

Julia Nawalna: They are political prisoners and must be released immediately

She commented on journalists Julia Navnawidow of Alexei Navalny. “5.5 years of imprisonment was taken from each of these young people, because they honestly did their work. Artem, Antonina, Konstantin and Sergei are political prisoners and must be released immediately,” she wrote on platform X.

The European Commission reacts. “Russia is afraid of free voices”

European Commission She condemned the conviction of journalists. “We are with all political prisoners in Russia,” said Ke spokeswoman Anitta Hipper, demanding their immediate release.

– Russia continues aggression against Ukraine and its war against free and bold voices in (this country) that demand democracy and freedom of speech. Russia is afraid of these free voices and so far imprisoned hundreds of innocent journalists, opposition members and human rights defenders, but also ordinary Russians. That is why we condemn the latest prison sentence (published) for political reasons (…) towards four independent Russian journalists: Antonina, Konstantin, Sergei and Artiom – Hipper said on Wednesday at a conference in Brussels.

She added that the European Commission exerts international pressure on Russia in connection with violations of human rights and supports specific persons, including by monitoring their lawsuits.

– We also provide support to the civil society, human rights defenders, activists and independent media – both in Russia and outside. For example, Russian NGOs receive support from the European Union to legal defense of political prisoners – a spokeswoman reminded.