A Russian journalist collaborating with several media outlets was placed in pre-trial detention for “extremism” for having participated in the creation of videos for the YouTube channel of the team of the late opponent Alexeï Navalny, the Moscow courts announced on Saturday April 27. Konstantin Gabov will remain in detention at least until June 27 while awaiting his trial, the courts’ press service also reported on Telegram.
Mr. Gabov collaborated with various media companies, including the Russian television channels Moskva 24 and MIR and the Belarusian news agency Belsat, according to Russian media.
Russian justice accuses him of having “participated in the preparation of photos and videos for publication on the NavalnyLIVE YouTube channel”said the courts, referring to one of the platforms used by opponent Alexeï Navalny’s team.
Alexeï Navalny, the bête noire of Vladimir Putin, died in February in murky circumstances in an Arctic prison. His movement was classified as “extremist” by the courts, which puts his collaborators and supporters at risk of prosecution.
Navalny’s collaborators in exile, or in prison
Most of the deceased opponent’s associates are in exile abroad, others have been sentenced to long prison terms. At the end of March, a photojournalist, Antonina Kravtsova, who worked under the name Antonina Favorskaïa, was also detained on charges of“extremism”.
She very regularly covered the trials of Alexei Navalny for SOTAvision, one of the last media outlets documenting political repression from Russia and classified “foreign agent” by the Russian authorities.
Several other journalists are in detention in Russia, including the American Evan Gershkovich, targeted by accusations of” spying “ which he rejects, just like his media, his relatives and the American authorities.
A Russian-American journalist, Alsu Kurmasheva, working for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), has also been in detention since October 2023 for failing to register as a“foreign agent” as required by the authorities.