Russian journalist Sergei Karelin was detained in Russia for "extremism", accused of having participated in the creation of videos for the team of the late opponent Alexeï Navalny, the American press agency reported on Sunday April 28 Associated Press, with which he notably collaborated.
This is the second journalist to be arrested on charges of this nature in a few hours, after Konstantin Gabov, who was also detained on Saturday and who occasionally collaborated with the Canadian news agency Reuters.
The Associated Press said in a comment to Agence France-Presse on Sunday that it was "very concerned about the detention of Russian video journalist Sergei Karelin" and added that it was "seeking additional information" on the matter. .
Sergei Kareline and Konstantin Gabov are accused of having participated in the preparation of videos for the NavalnyLIVE YouTube channel from the team of Russian opponent Alexeï Navalny, who died in a penal colony in Russia in February in murky circumstances. His movement has been classified as “extremist” by the courts, which puts his collaborators and supporters at risk of prosecution. Most of the deceased opponent's associates are in exile abroad, others have been given long prison sentences.
Increased pressure since the start of the war in Ukraine
Russian authorities have increased their pressure on journalists and media in Russia in recent months, whether independent or foreign, in a context of increased repression since the start of the offensive in Ukraine in February 2022.
At the end of March, a photojournalist, Antonina Kravtsova, who worked under the name Antonina Favorskaïa, was also detained, accused of “extremism”. She very regularly covered the trials of Alexeï Navalny for SOTAvision, one of the last media outlets in Russia documenting political repressions, classified as a “foreign agent” by the Russian authorities.
A Russian journalist from the Russian edition of the Forbes media, Sergei Mingazov, was arrested on April 26, accused of having disseminated “false information” on abuses attributed to the Russian army in Ukraine. Several other journalists are in detention in Russia, including the American Evan Gershkovich, targeted by accusations of “espionage” which he rejects, as do 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 the authorities demand it.
