Another Russian journalist has been detained in Russia on charges of “extremism,” accused of producing videos for the team of late dissident Alexei Navalny, reported the Associated Press international news agency on Sunday.
Sergei Karelin, who previously worked for the AP, is the second journalist arrested over similar allegations following the detention of Konstantin Gabov, who occasionally contributed to Reuters news agency and other Russian television channels, including Moskva 24 and MIR, as well as the Belarusian news agency Belsat. Gabov will remain in pre-trial detention until at least June 27, according to the courts’ press service.
Both Karelin and Gabov are accused of aiding in the production of videos for the YouTube channel NavalnyLIVE, utilized by Navalny’s team, according to court statements.
Navalny, the prominent critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, died in uncertain circumstances in a prison in the Arctic earlier this year. His movement has been labeled “extremist,” leaving its members and supporters vulnerable to legal prosecution.
The Russian authorities have intensified pressure on independent and foreign media outlets in recent months, part of a broader effort to suppress dissenting voices following the conflict with Ukraine.
Photographer Antonina Kravtsova was also detained in March on charges of “extremism” for her coverage of Navalny’s trials for SOTAvision, an organization documenting political crackdowns in Russia. Similarly, Sergei Mingazov, a journalist for the Russian version of Forbes media, was detained on Friday, accused of disseminating “false information” about military abuses in Ukraine.
Among other incarcerated journalists are Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, facing espionage allegations rejected by both him and U.S. authorities, and Russian-American journalist Alsu Kurmasheva, detained since October for failing to register as a “foreign agent” as mandated by Russian authorities.