Other imprisoned journalists include Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich (representative)
Another Russian journalist has been arrested in Russia on “extremism” charges, accused of making videos for late dissident Alexei Navalny’s team, the international news agency Associated Press said on Sunday.
Sergei Karelin, who worked for the AP, is the second journalist arrested on such charges, after Konstantin Gabov, who worked occasionally for the Reuters news agency and was arrested on Saturday.
“The Associated Press is deeply concerned about the detention of Russian video journalist Sergei Karelin,” the agency told AFP. “We are seeking additional information.”
Gabov, who according to media reports also worked for the Russian television channels Moskva 24 and MIR and the Belarusian news agency Belsat, will remain in pre-trial detention until at least June 27, the court’s press service reported on Telegram.
Karelin and Gabov are accused of helping prepare videos for publication on the YouTube channel NavalnyLIVE, a platform used by Navalny’s team, the court said.
Navalny, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s most prominent critic, died in murky circumstances in an Arctic prison in February.
His movement has been labeled “extremist,” exposing its associates and supporters to persecution.
Most of Navalny’s allies are in exile or serving long prison sentences.
Russian authorities have increased pressure on independent and foreign media in recent months in a concerted effort to silence dissident voices following the offensive against Ukraine.
In March, photographer Antonina Kravtsova was also detained on charges of “extremism” after extensively reporting on Navalny’s trials for SOTAvision, one of the few media organizations documenting political action in Russia and labeled by authorities as a “foreign agent” ‘ Was considered.
Sergei Mingazov, a Russian journalist working for Russia’s version of Forbes media, was arrested on Friday and charged with spreading “false information” about military abuses in Ukraine.
Other jailed journalists include Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who faces espionage charges that he and U.S. authorities reject.
Russian-American journalist Alsu Kurmasheva, who works for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, has been behind bars since October for failing to register as a “foreign agent” as required by authorities.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
