a moscow court On Thursday upheld the five-and-a-half-year prison sentences of four Russian journalists, including two former Deutsche Welle journalists who previously worked for the organization’s Moscow bureau.
Konstantin Gabov and Sergei Karlin, along with Antonina Favorskaya and Artyom Krieger, were convicted in April on charges of participating in an “extremist organization” – a reference to the Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK), an NGO founded by opposition leader Alexei Navalny.
Navalny, A prominent critic of President Vladimir Putin died while imprisoned in an Arctic penal colony in February 2024.
Russian authorities classified the FBK as an extremist organization in 2021, a designation that has since been used to prosecute journalists, activists and opposition figures associated with Navalny’s movement.
Prosecutors said the group created content for the FBK YouTube channel. All four journalists denied the allegations and said they did not work for the foundation but only reported on its activities.
next Following Thursday’s verdict, the group is now expected to be transferred from pre-trial detention centers to penal colonies to serve their sentences.
Their convictions have drawn international criticism and raised concerns about press freedom in Russia.
protect The lawyer denied the allegations
Irina Biryukova, a lawyer representing Konstantin Gabov, told DW that the conviction was baseless and that the journalists had not committed any crimes.
“There is no evidence of any extremist activity in the case files presented to both the trial and appeal courts,” Biryukova said. “They were just doing their jobs as journalists.”
Biryukova confirmed plans to appeal the verdict to higher Russian courts and, if necessary, Bring the matter before the United Nations Human Rights Committee.
journalists Expected exchange of prisoners
gabov and Carlin both worked for DW before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and subsequently reported for international news outlets including Reuters and the Associated Press.
Favorskaya and Krieger were journalists for the independent Russian outlet SOTAVision. Although arrested at different times in 2024, all four were charged in the same case. Since then he is in custody.
according to Biryukova, Gabov hoped the appeals court might reduce his sentence.
“He also believed he could be included in a possible prison swap between Russia and the United States,” he said. “He’s asking people to continue speaking on his behalf [their case] “Without international attention, it could be ignored in future exchange negotiations.”
international screaming
These sentences have been condemned by both the German government and the European Union.
Following the original convictions in April, European Commission foreign affairs spokeswoman Anita Hipper called for action, saying: “Favorskaya, Gabov, Karlin, Krieger and all political prisoners must be released immediately and unconditionally.”
human rights The organization Memorial has recognized four journalists as political prisoners. The total number of such prisoners in Russia is 742According to the group’s estimate. The list includes journalists, activists, academics and common citizens.
Reporters Without Borders The ongoing pressure on Russian media is highlighted by estimates in December 2023 that 1,500 to 1,800 Russian journalists had fled the country since the Kremlin launched its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.,
Russia’s position in the organization The 2025 Press Freedom Index fell to a record low of 171 out of 180 countries.
Russia bans DW from broadcasting and forced to close its Moscow office on February 4, 2022, just weeks before a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. DW’s website dw.com was blocked in all languages across Russia. DW’s Russian service continues to operate from Riga, Latvia.
Edited by: Jay Wingard.