By Mark Trevelyan
LONDON (Reuters) - Four Russian journalists went on trial in Moscow on Wednesday on charges of involvement in an "extremist" group after authorities accused them of working for the banned organisation of the late dissident Alexei Navalny.
The cases against Antonina Favorskaya, Sergei Karelin, Konstantin Gabov and Artem Kriger highlight the increasingly precarious position of journalists inside Russia, where press freedom groups say dozens are currently behind bars.
After about 30 minutes of open proceedings in court, the judge granted a prosecution request to evict press and spectators for the remainder of the trial on the basis of a letter from the counter-extremism department of the interior ministry that Navalny supporters were preparing "provocations".
Independent news outlet Mediazona quoted Kriger as telling the judge before journalists were ordered from the room: "This is just some kind of archaism. This is how they do it in totalitarian regimes."
The journalists each face up to six years in prison if convicted. They were not invited to plead innocent or guilty in the portion of the hearing that was open to the press.
Prosecutors say they created materials for the YouTube channel of Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK), which is banned in Russia as "a foreign agent" and an extremist organisation.
Gabov and Karelin are freelancers who have worked for a variety of news organisations including, respectively, Reuters and The Associated Press. A Reuters spokesperson said Gabov had worked occasionally for the news agency between late 2022 and early 2024 as a desk producer.
"We don’t believe the charges against him in any way relate to his freelance work at Reuters. Reuters is deeply committed to freedom of the press and opposes the arrest and detention of any journalist for reasons related to reporting," the spokesperson said.
"Journalists must be free to report the news in the public interest without fear of harassment or harm, wherever they are."
The AP said at the time of Karelin's arrest in April that it was very concerned by his detention. It did not immediately respond to a request for further comment on Wednesday.
Favorskaya and Kriger both work for SOTAVision, an independent outlet that has also been designated a foreign agent. Favorskaya recorded the last video of Navalny taking part in a court hearing on Feb. 15, the day before he died suddenly in an Arctic penal colony. She was arrested in March, and Kriger in June.
Russia has intensified pressure on domestic and foreign reporters since the start of its war in Ukraine. According to the international press freedom group Reporters without Borders, 34 journalists and six other media workers are currently in detention in Russia.
The Kremlin does not comment on individual legal cases, saying it is for the courts to enforce Russian law. It has cast supporters of Navalny as troublemakers out to foment revolution and destabilise Russia.