Russian prosecutors seek nearly six years in jail for four journalists accused of extremism

Russian prosecutors have asked for jail terms of five years and 11 months for four journalists accused of working for the banned organization of the late opposition leader Alexei Navalny, the journalists told a Reuters witness on Thursday as they were led out of court.

State news agency TASS also reported that prosecutors had asked for a five year and 11 month jail term for the journalists, citing an unidentified Russian law enforcement source.

Antonina Favorskaya, Sergei Karelin, Konstantin Gabov and Artem Kriger have been on trial behind closed doors since October on charges, which they deny, of belonging to an extremist group.

Prosecutors say they created materials for the YouTube channel of Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK), which is banned in Russia as a "foreign agent" and an extremist organization.

Opposition activists say the trial suggests the authorities are determined to keep pursuing alleged supporters of Navalny, more than a year after he died suddenly in an Arctic penal colony at the age of 47.

Navalny, the most prominent opponent of President Vladimir Putin, had spent years denouncing corruption in the Russian elite. He was jailed on corruption and extremism charges, which he denied.

Navalny's supporters accuse Putin of ordering his death. The Kremlin denies that. The Wall Street Journal reported last year that U.S. intelligence did not think Putin ordered Navalny's death.

Accused journalists Gabov and Karelin are freelancers who have worked for a variety of news organizations including, respectively, Reuters and The Associated Press.

In a statement, a Reuters spokesman said: "Konstantin Gabov is a freelance journalist who between 2022 and 2024 occasionally contributed to Reuters as a desk producer, editing video and scripting stories assigned to him. We have no evidence that shows the charges against him relate to his freelance work at Reuters.

"Reuters is deeply committed to freedom of the press and opposes the imprisonment of any journalist for doing their job. Journalists must be free to report the news in the public interest without fear of harassment or harm, wherever they are," the statement added.

The Associated Press did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Favorskaya and Kriger both work for SOTAVision, an independent outlet that has also been designated a foreign agent. Favorskaya recorded the last video of Navalny taking part in a court hearing the day before he died.

"This is a monstrous trial and these are monstrous jail terms - and for what?" Alexandra Ageeva, the founder of SOTAVision, who is listed by Russia as a foreign agent, told Reuters. "Why are the court hearings closed?"

"The judge came today escorted by men carrying automatic weapons. Who are they afraid of? Or is it a gesture of intimidation? It is absurd."

Russia has intensified pressure on domestic and foreign reporters since the start of its war in Ukraine. According to the international press freedom group Reporters without Borders, 32 journalists and six other media workers are currently in detention in Russia.