Four journalists who were accused of working for Kremlin foe Navalny are convicted of extremism

Four journalists who were accused of working for Kremlin foe Navalny are convicted of extremism
Russian journalists (L-R) Sergei Karelin, Konstantin Gabov, Antonina Kravtsova, and Artem Kriger, attend the verdict announcement at the Nagatinsky court in Moscow, Apr. 15, 2025. (AFP)
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Updated 15 April 2025
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Four journalists who were accused of working for Kremlin foe Navalny are convicted of extremism

Four journalists who were accused of working for Kremlin foe Navalny are convicted of extremism
  • All four maintained their innocence, arguing they were being prosecuted for doing their job as journalists
  • The closed-door trial was part of an unrelenting crackdown on dissent that has reached an unprecedented scale after Moscow sent troops into Ukraine in February 2022

MOSCOW: A Russian court on Tuesday convicted four journalists of extremism for working for an anti-corruption group founded by the late opposition leader Alexei Navalny and sentenced them to 5 1/2 years in prison each.
Antonina Favorskaya, Kostantin Gabov, Sergey Karelin and Artyom Kriger were found guilty of involvement with a group that had been labeled as extremist. All four had maintained their innocence, arguing they were being prosecuted for doing their jobs as journalists.
The closed-door trial was part of an unrelenting crackdown on dissent that has reached an unprecedented scale after Moscow sent troops into Ukraine in February 2022.
The authorities have targeted opposition figures, independent journalists, rights activists and ordinary Russians critical of the Kremlin with prosecution, jailing hundreds and prompting thousands to flee the country.
Favorskaya and Kriger worked with SotaVision, an independent Russian news outlet that covers protests and political trials. Gabov is a freelance producer who has worked for multiple organizations, including Reuters. Karelin, a freelance video journalist, has done work for Western media outlets, including The Associated Press.
The four journalists were accused of working with Navalny’s Foundation for Fighting Corruption, which was designated as extremist and outlawed in 2021 in a move widely seen as politically motivated.
Navalny was President Vladimir Putin’s fiercest and most prominent foe and relentlessly campaigned against official corruption in Russia. Navalny died in February 2024 in an Arctic penal colony while serving a 19-year sentence on a number of charges, including running an extremist group, which he had rejected as politically driven.
Favorskaya said at an earlier court appearance open to the public that she was being prosecuted for a story she did on abuse Navalny faced behind bars. Speaking to reporters from the defendants’ cage before the verdict, she also said she was punished for helping organize Navalny’s funeral.
Gabov, in a closing statement prepared for court that was published by the independent Novaya Gazeta newspaper, said the accusations against him were groundless and the prosecution failed to prove them.
“I understand perfectly well ... what kind of country I live in. Throughout history, Russia has never been different, there is nothing new in the current situation,” Gabov said in the statement. “Independent journalism is equated to extremism.”
In a statement Karelin prepared for his closing arguments that also was published by Novaya Gazeta, he said he had agreed to do street interviews for Popular Politics, a YouTube channel founded by Navalny’s associates, while trying to provide for his wife and a young child. He stressed that the channel wasn’t outlawed as extremist and had done nothing illegal.
“Remorse is considered to be a mitigating circumstance. It’s the criminals who need to have remorse for what they did. But I am in prison for my work, for the honest and impartial attitude to journalism, FOR THE LOVE for my family and country,” he wrote in a separate speech for court that also was published by the outlet, in which he emphasized his feelings in capital letters.
Kriger, in a closing statement published by SotaVision, said he was imprisoned and added to the Russian financial intelligence’s registry of extremists and terrorists “only because I have conscientiously carried out my professional duties as an honest, incorruptible and independent journalist for 4 1/2 years.”
“Don’t despair guys, sooner or later it will end and those who delivered the sentence will go behind bars,” Kriger said after the verdict.
Supporters who gathered in the court building chanted and applauded as the four journalists were led out of the courtroom after the verdict.
The Russian human rights group Memorial designated all four as political prisoners, among more than 900 others held in the country. That number includes Mikhail Kriger, Artyom Kriger’s uncle, a Moscow-based activist who was arrested in 2022 and is serving a seven-year prison sentence.
Mikhail Kriger was convicted of justifying terrorism and inciting hatred over Facebook comments in which he expressed a desire “to hang” Putin.


A French high school student is arrested after fatally stabbing another student and wounding 3

A French high school student is arrested after fatally stabbing another student and wounding 3
Updated 5 sec ago
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A French high school student is arrested after fatally stabbing another student and wounding 3

A French high school student is arrested after fatally stabbing another student and wounding 3
The circumstances of the attack were not immediately clear
A national police official said the attack occurred at the private Catholic Notre-Dame-de-Toutes-Aides High School in Nantes

PARIS: A student at a French high school stabbed four other students at his school Thursday, killing at least one and injuring three others before being arrested, police said.
The circumstances of the attack were not immediately clear. Fatal attacks are quite rare in French schools.
A national police official said the attack occurred at the private Catholic Notre-Dame-de-Toutes-Aides High School in Nantes on France’s Atlantic coast.
The student stabbed four people with a knife during a lunch break before teachers subdued him, and he was later taken in by police, the official said. The official was not authorized to be publicly named according to national police policy.
Students at the school told French media at the scene that they had received an email from the assailant earlier in the day with unspecified grievances.
Education Minister Elisabeth Borne said on X that she is heading to the school with Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau to show “solidarity with victims and the school community.” The regional prosecutor announced a news conference for later Thursday.
Images from the scene showed police and armed military forces surrounding the school as the investigation got underway.
An official at the school, which is part of a complex housing a primary and middle school, would not comment on what happened, saying the school is concentrating on caring for the students who were on campus at the time. The school website was down.

Gangs in Haiti kill 4 soldiers and 4 civilians in bid to seize full control of the capital

Gangs in Haiti kill 4 soldiers and 4 civilians in bid to seize full control of the capital
Updated 5 min 46 sec ago
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Gangs in Haiti kill 4 soldiers and 4 civilians in bid to seize full control of the capital

Gangs in Haiti kill 4 soldiers and 4 civilians in bid to seize full control of the capital
  • Lionel Lazarre, spokesman for Haiti’s National Police, told Radio Caraïbes that two soldiers and four civilians were killed in Kenscoff
  • In videos posted on social media, gunmen are seen mutilating several bodies

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti: Gangs trying to seize full control of Haiti have killed at least four soldiers and four armed civilians who worked with law enforcement to protect their communities, an official said Thursday.
Lionel Lazarre, spokesman for Haiti’s National Police, told Radio Caraïbes that two soldiers and four civilians were killed in Kenscoff, a once peaceful community on the outskirts of the capital, Port-au-Prince. Two other soldiers and an undetermined number of civilians were killed in the community of Pacot inside the capital, he said.
On Wednesday night, the government said that at least four police officers and armed civilians from the community of Canapé-Vert, one of the few neighborhoods not controlled by gangs, were killed in the attacks.
In videos posted on social media, gunmen are seen mutilating several bodies and picking up severed heads as trophies, saying, “We got the dogs.”
Haiti’s transitional presidential council and the prime minister’s office condemned the attacks in separate statements and said that multiple people were injured.
“The government reaffirms that the fight against insecurity remains its top priority,” the office said.
Gangs that control at least 85 percent of Port-au-Prince have launched recent attacks on previously peaceful areas that police and armed residents are trying to protect.
More than 260 people were killed in attacks on Kenscoff and Carrefour earlier this year, according to the UN political mission in Haiti.
Haitian police are working alongside a UN-backed mission led by Kenyan police to repel gangs, although they have struggled in their efforts. The mission is underfunded and only has some 1,000 personnel out of the 2,500 envisioned.
More than 5,600 people were killed in Haiti last year, with gang violence leaving more than one million people homeless, according to the UN


Saudi exhibition takes Indonesians on virtual tour of Islamic heritage

Saudi exhibition takes Indonesians on virtual tour of Islamic heritage
Updated 11 min 47 sec ago
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Saudi exhibition takes Indonesians on virtual tour of Islamic heritage

Saudi exhibition takes Indonesians on virtual tour of Islamic heritage
  • ‘Jusoor’ exhibition runs until May 3 at Istiqlal Mosque in Jakarta
  • Visitors can also view rare manuscripts, learn Arabic calligraphy

JAKARTA: A week-long Saudi exhibition opened in Jakarta on Thursday, offering Indonesian visitors virtual tours of the Grand Mosque in Makkah and the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah, as well as a display of the features of the Holy Kaaba.

Organized by Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Islamic Affairs and Indonesia’s Ministry of Religious Affairs, the display, titled “Jusoor” or bridges, is being held at the Istiqlal Mosque complex in Jakarta.

The event is free to the public and will run until May 3.

It was inaugurated by Indonesia’s Religious Affairs Minister Nasaruddin Umar and Saudi Arabia's Islamic Affairs Undersecretary Dr. Awwad bin Sabti Al-Anzi.

“This exhibition symbolizes the strengthening of cultural and diplomatic relations between Indonesia and Saudi Arabia, while also serving as a platform to introduce the rich history and civilization of Islam to the general public,” Umar said on social media.

“Through the collection of artifacts, ancient manuscripts, and interactive multimedia installations, (it) invites visitors to explore the Islamic world’s contribution to science, art and culture across time.”

Aside from the virtual tours of the two holy mosques, the Saudi exhibition in Jakarta features their scale models and photos of the Kaaba.

Designed to be educational and child-friendly, it also invites visitors to explore the printing of the Qur’an, view rare manuscripts, learn about Arabic calligraphy, and to taste qahwa — the traditional Arabic coffee.

Organizers are aiming to attract 1 million visitors.

“The exhibition, which aims to attract 1 million visitors, embodies the Kingdom’s efforts to spread moderation, serve the Holy Qur’an, and strengthen bridges of cultural and human communication between peoples,” the Saudi Ministry of Islamic Affairs said in a statement on X.

According to Ahmad Zayadi, information director of Islamic affairs at Indonesia’s Religious Affairs Ministry, the event showcases Saudi Arabia’s role in world culture and history.

“(The Kingdom’s) standing in the Islamic world makes it a center of civilization that is inseparable from mankind’s history and cultural development,” Zayadi said.

“We are showing the world that religion and culture are not just legacies of the past, but a strategic foundation to build future civilizations.”


Ramaphosa to meet Trump ‘soon’ to discuss strained South Africa-US relations

Ramaphosa to meet Trump ‘soon’ to discuss strained South Africa-US relations
Updated 24 min 31 sec ago
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Ramaphosa to meet Trump ‘soon’ to discuss strained South Africa-US relations

Ramaphosa to meet Trump ‘soon’ to discuss strained South Africa-US relations
  • "We both agreed that the war should be brought to an end as soon as possible to stop further unnecessary deaths,'' Ramaphosa said
  • “We also spoke about the need to foster good relations between our two countries"

JOHANNESBURG: South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said Thursday he will “meet soon” with US President Donald Trump to discuss relations between the two countries.
Ramaphosa said he had spoken to Trump and the two leaders had also agreed to discuss the peace process in Ukraine and the end to the Russia-Ukraine war.
“We both agreed that the war should be brought to an end as soon as possible to stop further unnecessary deaths. We both agreed to meet soon to address various matters regarding US-South Africa relations,” Ramaphosa said in a post on social media platform X.


“We also spoke about the need to foster good relations between our two countries,” he added. Ramaphosa did not indicate when the meeting with Trump was likely to take place.
Relations between South Africa and the US have deteriorated since Trump took office earlier this year.
Trump has criticized South Africa’s stance on the Israel-Hamas war, which has seen the country take Israel to the International Court of Justice and accuse it of committing a genocide in Gaza.
Trump has also signed an executive order stopping all financial aid to South Africa and has also slapped South Africa with 37 percent trade tariffs on its exports to the US, which he subsequently paused for 90 days.
The cuts were an additional blow to the country after it also lost US funding for its key health programs including the fight against HIV.
Trump has also falsely accused South Africa of illegally seizing farms owned by white Afrikaner farmers after it enacted the Expropriation Act which empowers the government to expropriate land for public use.
He has offered to facilitate the resettlement of white Afrikaner farmers who wish to leave South Africa and move to the US
Last month, the US expelled Ebrahim Rasool, the South African ambassador to the US, over his criticism of Trump, who has hinted that he may not attend the G20 summit of world leaders scheduled to take place in Johannesburg in November.
Ramaphosa revealed his conversation with Trump as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was on an official visit to South Africa.
Zelensky held a planned meeting with Ramaphosa at the government’s Union Buildings in Pretoria.


In rare criticism of Putin, Trump urges the Russian leader to ‘STOP!’ after a deadly attack on Kyiv

In rare criticism of Putin, Trump urges the Russian leader to ‘STOP!’ after a deadly attack on Kyiv
Updated 37 min 39 sec ago
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In rare criticism of Putin, Trump urges the Russian leader to ‘STOP!’ after a deadly attack on Kyiv

In rare criticism of Putin, Trump urges the Russian leader to ‘STOP!’ after a deadly attack on Kyiv
  • “I am not happy with the Russian strikes on KYIV,” Trump said
  • “Not necessary, and very bad timing. Vladimir, STOP!”

WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump on Thursday offered rare criticism of Vladimir Putin, urging the Russian leader to “STOP!” after a deadly barrage of attacks on Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital.
“I am not happy with the Russian strikes on KYIV. Not necessary, and very bad timing. Vladimir, STOP! 5000 soldiers a week are dying,” Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform. “Lets get the Peace Deal DONE!”
Russia struck Kyiv with an hourslong barrage of missiles and drones. At least nine people were killed and more than 70 injured in the deadliest assault on the city since last July. The strikes took place just as peace efforts are coming to a head.