A pair of Russian journalists have been detained on “extremism” charges and face accusations of working for a group founded by the late Russian opposition politician Alexey Navalny.
Russian authorities have designated Navalny, who died in an Arctic prison in February, and his organizations as “extremist.” Members of his team have previously been imprisoned and many live in exile.
One of the journalists was allegedly involved in the “preparation of photo and video materials” for a YouTube channel, according to Moscow’s Basmanny District Court press service. The journalist was arrested and will remain in detention until June 27.
The court mentioned that the journalist is a producer for Reuters news agency, which has continued to operate in Russia since Moscow launched its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The source has asked Reuters for comment.
The other journalist was arrested in Russia’s northwest Murmansk region and is accused of “participation in an extremist organization.” The journalist previously worked for a number of outlets including the Associated Press (AP) and German publication Deutsche Welle (DW), until DW was banned in Russia in 2022.
An AP photo showed the journalist, who has dual Russian-Israeli citizenship, sitting in a glass cage in a Murmansk court.
These detentions come amid a heightened crackdown in Russia on journalists and Kremlin critics, as President Vladimir Putin has sought to stifle dissent more fiercely than before the invasion of Ukraine.
Another journalist, a Forbes reporter, was placed under house arrest after being detained for allegedly spreading fake news about the Russian army, as reported by state media RIA Novosti.
Alexey Navalny, who was Putin’s most formidable political opponent, died in a penal colony where he was serving a more-than-30-year sentence on extremism charges. Navalny’s family and supporters have accused Putin of being responsible for his death, a claim rejected by the Kremlin.
