Russia arrests two journalists for allegedly working for Navalny’s organization

Russia arrested two journalists this weekend on suspicion of “extremism” because of the work they allegedly carried out for Alexei Navalny’s organization. This was reported by the AP news agency on Sunday. The two Russian journalists will be in pre-trial detention for at least two months before the trial against them begins. They face a prison sentence of up to six years.

These are journalists Konstantin Gabov, who worked for the Reuters news agency, and Sergej Karelin, who worked at AP in the past. They are accused of preparing videos for the YouTube channel of Navalny’s anti-corruption foundation FBK, which has been banned by Russian authorities. Both journalists deny all allegations.

Since the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the Russian regime has taken increasingly tough action against independent media. For example, laws have been passed that criminalize the spread of false information about the army, which in practice prohibits all criticism of the war in Ukraine. The arrest of journalists also fits in with this development. Last Friday, Sergei Mingazov, a journalist for the Russian version of the business magazine Forbes, was arrested on suspicion of spreading false information about the Russian army.

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