Russian journalist who covered Navalny trials detained on charges of extremism

A Russian journalist who covered the trials of the late opposition leader Alexei Navalny and stands accused of involvement with an extremist group has been ordered to remain in custody for at least two months.

Antonina Favorskaya, who works for the independent outlet SotaVision, was first arrested earlier this month after laying flowers on Navalny’s grave, according to reports. After being detained 10 days for disobeying police orders, she was charged Friday with collecting material and producing content for Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation, which Russian President Vladimir Putin’s government deemed an extremist organization in 2021. The court ordered her to remain in pretrial detention until at least May 28.

In a story written in Russian and published on March 6, three weeks after Navalny’s death, Favorskaya described how authorities treated him during his trials. She reported that he was kept in a cell and rarely allowed to leave it, denied the ability “to wear winter shoes in the cold and treat bad teeth,” deprived of writing materials, and had letters addressed to him and food he bought confiscated, among other things. She said she is being tried for that story, according to a report.

Another report indicates the hearing at which Favorskaya was charged was held behind closed doors, much to her dismay.

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“I am completely against a closed process,” she said. “The press needs to know what’s going on here, what I’m being accused of.”

The charge carries a prison sentence of up to six years. The news came the same day as the one-year anniversary of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich’s detention.