A Russian reporter, Antonina Favorskaya, also known as Antonina Kravtsova, who had extensively reported on the courtroom proceedings of deceased Russian adversary politician Alexei Navalny and myriad dissidents, has been commanded by a Moscow Court to remain under detention while an inquiry into, and trial on, extremism charges proceed.
Favorskaya was apprehended earlier this month and a recent directive by Moscow’s Basmanny district court mandated her pre-trial confinement until at least the 28th of May. In a private audience requested by the investigators and approved by the judge, she and her legal representative contested the judgement, as reported by the independent Russian news website, Mediazona.
Favorskaya, expressing her disapproval for private proceedings, stated that the press has a right to be informed of the proceedings and the nature of the charges brought against her. Her reported indictments revolve around her alleged activity relating to gathered content, video production, and editing for Navalny’s anti-corruption body, deemed extremist and subsequently prohibited by the Russian administration, court officials have revealed. Involvement in extremist associations, the crime she stands accused of, carries with it a sentence of up to a half-dozen years of incarceration.
Favorskaya’s arrest occurred on 17th March, post a visit to Navalny’s grave, where she had paid her respects with flowers. Following charges of police insubordination, she served a 10-day jail sentence. Upon completion of her initial imprisonment term, she was charged anew and was instructed to attend court on Friday, as reported by OVD-Info, a Russian advocacy group for human rights.
Kira Yarmysh, Navalny’s spokeswoman, asserts that Favorskaya did not publish any dated material on the anti-corruption foundation’s platforms. She hinted towards a motive wherein the Russian authorities targeted Favorskaya simply because she was performing her journalistic duties. Yarmysh posits that even disregarding the inaccuracies of the charge, the core allegation is that she carried out journalistic activities.
Navalny passed away whilst imprisoned in an Arctic penal colony in February. Favorskaya had reported on Navalny’s court appearances as well as trials of additional Kremlin objectors ensnared in a government-derived relentless suppression.
Reporters Without Borders, a media freedom advocacy group, identified her as one of six reporters apprehended across Russia in March. Favorskaya, along with several other Russian journalists, have been subjected to targeted actions by authorities. This is seen as part of Russia’s suppression campaign against opposition figures, journalists, activists and individuals in the LGBTQ+ community.
Her detainment coincided with the first anniversary of Evan Gershkovich’s arrest, a Wall Street Journal correspondent of 32 years who is currently held in Moscow’s infamous Lefortovo Prison, facing allegations of espionage. Both Gershkovich and his employer vehemently counter these charges. Gershkovich’s detention has been denounced as unlawful by the US government, citing accusations that Moscow is manipulating the journalist for their political motives.