4 Russian journalists were sentencedto 5.5 years in prison each on Tuesdayafter authorities declared that they worked with late Kremlin critic Alexei Navalnys banned organizations.Artyom Kriger, Antonina Favorskaya, Konstantin Gabov and Sergei Karelin were found guilty of participating in an extremist group after a trial performed behind closed doors.
All 4 deny their guilt.Video journalists Gabov and Karelin had worked for a variety of outlets including major global firms Gabov with Reuters and Karelin with the Associated Press.In his courtroom speech, Karelin said he shot video footage for Popular Politics, a YouTube channel introduced by Navalnys allies that he agreed to work for after an attorney told him it had actually not been designated as extremist or a foreign agent.The Moscow Times previously published Krigers final word in court.
Favorskayas letter including her speech was obstructed by jail censors.
We are now publishing Gabov and Karelins courtroom speeches.Statements have been modified for length and clarity.Sergei Karelins court argumentI have operated in television since 2004, and I invested my first eight years in the industry as a sound engineer at NTV Channel.
Throughout that time, I took a trip to lots of countries as part of the presidential press swimming pool, and I felt a growing desire to inform stories about my country, to record what was taking place here.I later worked for a number of years at the 360 television channel as a cameraman.
I hold a professional degree from the State Institute of Television and Radio, with a diploma in film and tv camerawork, in addition to in teaching.Ive always wanted to make documentaries and tell stories about life in my country a nation I deeply like.
However considering that this is rather a tough pursuit, specifically financially, I continued to work at television channels to support myself.Since 2017, Ive been certified by the Russian Foreign Ministry and worked as a cameraman for globally respected Western media outlets and news agencies.In 2022, my life altered dramatically.
Early that year, the business where I had actually worked for the previous 5 years stopped operations in Russia.
I lost another client due to budget plan cuts.
In February, [the war] began.
It impacted the lives of everyone in our country and beyond.
Many Russian citizens emigrated.
And in March, I ended up being the father of a wonderful daughter, Miroslava.We might have left too I have a 2nd citizenship however my household is here, my good friends are here, the ones now standing in the corridor.
My grandfather turned 101 in November.
I like my country, Moscow, our village in the Pskov region, nature and my work here! This is my home.My other half went on maternity leave and my financial duties grew substantially.
At the exact same time, it became increasingly challenging to discover consistent, well-paid work, so I had to handle nearly any filming task I could discover.
Still, as an expert, it was necessary for me to protect my self-respect as a journalist to preserve regard for my subjects and for storytelling, and to maintain journalistic ethics.Around that time, I was offered a job filming street interviews for the YouTube channel Popular Politics.
I sought advice from an attorney the media outlet was not [officially] designated as extremist or a foreign representative and so I agreed to handle the project.
Offered my desire to tell stories about life in my nation, I was truly interested in hearing individuals unfiltered opinions.Street interviews are a standard journalistic technique and Ive shot them for various editorial groups.
I wish to worry that even then, it was essential for me to do the task truthfully to engage with all perspectives and to film individuals from a variety of backgrounds and beliefs.
I also recorded public occasions for various outlets from performances to mass rallies.
At the rallies, I existed strictly as a cameraman working under editorial direction.Everything Ive explained boils down to something: I like my nation and my family thats all.
Despite having a second citizenship, I never ever wanted to leave.
I wanted to raise my daughter here, in our stunning country.I want this to be a nation where individuals are not maltreated for their views or positions, where they arent identified a fifth column or turned into targets for others.
I mean freedom of expression, for individuals right to speak easily, and for the medias right to reveal Russia and the world whats happening.I imagine a future in which reporters can work freely, without censorship or pressure.
I want to see a strong civil society in this country and for the rights of its people to be respected.Sergei Karelins last wordI am in jail for my professional activity, for my truthful and unbiased method to journalism, and for my love of my household and my country.Since Ive already spoken about my operate in the courtroom, I now want to say something else something personal.
Id like to attempt to resolve the most essential individual in my life my child Mira, whom I havent seen in 11 months.
And I dont understand when I will.
You understand, of course, that if Im convicted, my entire family will suffer my 101-year-old grandfather, a war veteran, my elderly moms and dads who are doing their finest to hang in there, and most of all my gorgeous daughter.I never ever imagined my kid would end up being a victim of political repression much like the kids of those persecuted in the 1930s.
Can you envision such a fate for your own children?So yes, Im now a papa on an organization trip, like many others today much like a lot of were at that time.
I do not know when Ill see her once again, not to mention hold her in my arms.Konstantin Gabovs last wordToday I am being pursued my expert activity.
All my life, working as a journalist at a number of media outlets, I have acted in strict accordance with the Russian Constitution.
Short article 29 guarantees flexibility of thought and speech.
Everybody can freely look for, get, send, produce and disperse details by any legal means.
Freedom of the mass media is ensured.
Censorship is restricted.
I have actually never been a member of any political party.
I have always believed that a reporters duty is to objectively show the viewpoints of individuals with various views, assisting them to be heard by those in power.As early as last spring, I was producing reports about trials of activists previously, on the closure of [Nobel Peace Prize-winning human rights group] Memorial, the closure of the Sakharov Center and the dismantling of the Moscow Helsinki Group.
Federal Security Service officers ran background checks on my employment history from a local television station in the city of Syktyvkar to major global media like Reuters.For some factor, a payment from the German company Deutsche Welle in May 2024 was cited by [state watchdog] Rosfinmonitoring when I was contributed to the register of extremists and terrorists.
My work for [ United States -funded media outlets] Present Time and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty became part of this case.Out of the 5 episodes utilized as proof in my case, only one has witnesses.
The participants validate that I carried out the interview.
The video was published on the NavalnyLIVE YouTube channel on January 23, 2024, under the title: If you were face to face with Putin, what would you say?The private investigators from the Russian Investigative Committees Main Investigation Department did not develop any correspondence in between me and [Navalnys Anti-Corruption Foundation] members, nor did they discover evidence that I had actually gotten projects or money from them, subscribed to their channels, reposted or liked their material.
Id like to tension that I have actually never ever had any administrative offenses in my life.
Now Im being charged under one of the most serious short articles in the Russian Criminal Code, under the area Crimes Against the Constitutional Order: Participation in an extremist organization.As somebody with a background in cultural studies, I am completely aware of the nation I live in.
Throughout its history, Russia has stayed the very same theres absolutely nothing brand-new in the current situation.
Russia has constantly had a skill for creating issues not just for its own people, but likewise for neighboring nations.
Independent journalism is now equated with extremism.
Such rigidness is a result of a polarized society.Even behind bars, I believe that the issues and advancements in Russia must be reported on from inside the nation.
Working under such extreme conditions is hard, but possible.
And, most notably necessary.My work has actually constantly had to do with offering voice to those who can not be heard, and covering occasions that are vital for society.
I believe that journalism is not a crime it is a vital part of a democratic society.We need to remember that every voice matters, and just together can we change things for the better.
I hope that one day we will live in a country where freedom of speech is not simply a right, however an essential part of everyones life.