The authorities are Russia Media freedom group Reporters Without Borders said on Thursday it had detained six journalists across the country this month, including one who spent years covering the trial of Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny.
Russian rights group OVD-Info said Antonina Favorskaya was detained by Russian authorities and accused of participating in “extremist organizations” through posts on the Navalny Anti-Corruption Foundation’s social media platform . Navalny Died in Arctic penal colony in February.
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Favoskaya covered Navalny’s court hearings for years and filmed Navalny’s final video before his death in exile. She is one of several Russian journalists involved in a sweeping crackdown on Russian dissent that has targeted opposition figures, journalists, activists and members of social groups. LGBTQ+ Community.
Russian authorities detained six journalists this month, including one covering the trial of opposition politician Alexei Navalny. (iStock)
Reporters Without Borders said two other journalists, Alexandra Astakhova and Anastasia Musatova, were on their way to jail Favorskaya. ’s detention center was also temporarily detained after meeting her, adding that their home was searched and equipment confiscated.
Ekaterina Anikievich of the Russian news website SOTAvision and Konstantin Yarov of RusNews were also detained by police while reporting on the search of Favoskaya’s home. Reporters Without Borders said Yarov was beaten by police, threatened with sexual violence and taken to hospital. The group said Yarov was accused of “disobeying” police and risked being detained for 15 days.
On Wednesday, Russian authorities detained Rossiya Novosti journalist Olga Komleva in Ufa, 1,300 kilometers (about 800 miles) east of Moscow. Reporters Without Borders said it also accused her of extremism and involvement with Navalny and his organization.
Favorskaya was initially detained on March 17 after laying flowers at Navalny’s grave, OVD-Info said. She was accused of disobeying police and spent 10 days in jail, but when her detention period ended, authorities charged her again and ordered her to appear before Moscow’s Basman District Court on Friday, OVD-Info said.
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Navalny’s anti-corruption foundation has been designated an extremist organization by Russian authorities, meaning those associated with it could face prison terms if they continue to participate in its work.
Navalny’s spokesman Kira Yarmysh said Favoskaya had not posted anything on the foundation’s platform and suggested Russian authorities targeted her because she was doing her job as a journalist.
“How dark,” Amish wrote on X (formerly Twitter).