France on Wednesday, April 16, urged Russia to immediately release four journalists sentenced to long prison terms for their association with the late opposition leader Alexei Navalny. Navalny – Putin's main opponent – was declared an "extremist" by Russian authorities, a ruling that remains in force despite his death in an Arctic penal colony on February 16, 2024. Moscow also banned Navalny's organizations as "extremist" shortly before launching its 2022 Ukraine offensive and has ruthlessly targeted those it deems to have links to him.
"France condemns the five-and-a-half-year prison sentences handed down yesterday," French Foreign Ministry spokesperson Christophe Lemoine said. A judge sentenced the reporters – Antonina Kravtsova, Konstantin Gabov, Sergey Karelin and Artem Kriger – who all covered Navalny to "five years and six months in a general-regime penal colony," an Agence France-Presse journalist reported.
"The 'trial of the journalists' is a new demonstration by the Russian authorities to repress any dissenting opinion and intimidate those who attempt to document the human rights violations for which the Russian government is responsible," Lemoine said.
"France is calling for the immediate and unconditional release of all those prosecuted for political reasons and for Russia to respect its international commitments regarding the right to information and access to information," Lemoine added.
Kravtsova, 35, is a journalist who worked for the independent SOTAvision outlet. Gabov, 38, collaborated with Reuters and other foreign outlets, while 42-year-old Karelin, who is also an Israeli citizen, with the Associated Press and Deutsche Welle. Kriger, 24, the youngest among the accused, covered political trials and protests for SOTAvision.