Moscow (Russia), Apr 15 (LaPresse/AP) – A Russian court convicted four journalists of extremism, accusing them of working for an anti-corruption group founded by Alexei Navalny, and sentenced them to five and a half years in prison each. The 4 – Antonina Favorskaya, Kostantin Gabov, Sergey Karelin and Artyom Kriger – were found guilty of involvement in a group labelled extremist. All four have maintained their innocence and claim they were prosecuted for carrying out their work as journalists. Their trial behind closed doors is part of the Russian authorities' crackdown on dissent, which has reached unprecedented proportions since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The authorities have targeted opposition figures, independent journalists, human rights activists and ordinary Russian citizens critical of the Kremlin, imprisoning hundreds of them and pushing thousands to flee the country to avoid prosecution.
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