Russia: four more journalists jailed
The NUJ has joined the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) in condemning the Russian government’s continued imprisonment of independent journalists.
On 15 April Antonina Kravtsova, Artem Kriger, Konstantin Gabov, and Sergei Karelin were sentenced to five and a half years in a penal colony following a closed-door trial.
The four journalists were accused of working for the Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK) established by former opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who died in a Siberian prison in February 2024. Kravtsova, Kriger, Gabov, and Karelin argued that they were prosecuted simply for doing their jobs. Their lawyers said they would appeal the verdict.
Kravtsova filmed the final footage of Navalny before his death while Kriger had interviewed opposition politicians and reported on opposition to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Both worked for the independent Russian news outlet Sota.vision. Gabov, who worked for Reuters, and Karelin, who worked for Deutsche Welle and the Associated Press, were accused of preparing photos and videos for FBK’s ‘NavalnyLIVE’ YouTube channel.
Anthony Bellanger, IFJ general secretary, said:
“These convictions are the Kremlin’s latest blatant attempt to silence independent journalism in Russia. We call on the Russian authorities to annul these convictions and immediately release our colleagues, along with other journalists who have been sentenced on similar charges. Russia’s crackdown on journalists and press freedom, which has reached an unprecedented scale since the war in Ukraine, must end.”
The NUJ joins the IFJ in calling for the journalists' immediate release.