Russia arrests two journalists again

NOS News•today, 2:54 PM

Russia has arrested two more journalists. According to the AP news agency, Sergei Karelin, who has Russian and Israeli nationality, was arrested on Friday. Konstantin Gabov was arrested on Thursday. Karelin worked for AP and the German channel Deutsche Welle and Gabov, among others, for the Reuters news agency and the Russian channels Moskva 24 and MIR.

They are accused of “extremism” and linked to YouTube videos on the channel of opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who died in February. That channel is run by Navalny’s associates.

Navalny’s supporters and associates could face prosecution since Russian authorities determined his anti-corruption movement to be an extremist organization. Both journalists could face a minimum of two years in prison if convicted of participating in an extremist organization.

It was previously announced that Sergei Mingazov, who works for Forbes Russia, was arrested on Friday and placed under house arrest. He is accused of criticizing the Russian army’s attack on the Ukrainian city of Butcha. In Russia, a law came into effect in 2022 banning the spread of “fake news” about the military.

In March, photographer Antonina Favorskaya was arrested on charges of participating in an extremist organization for allegedly posting messages on social media channels of Navalny’s movement.

In October, Russian-American journalist Alsu Kurmasheva was arrested for failing to register as a foreign agent. Russia labels individuals and organizations that it believes are financed from abroad and are conducting political activities against Russian rulers as foreign agents.

The Wall Street Journal’s Evan Gershkovich has been in prison for more than a year on espionage charges. On Tuesday, a Moscow court rejected his appeal against an extension of his pre-trial detention.