Journalist charged for disobeying police and ordered to spend ten days behind bars

Location: Russia, Moscow

Date: March 17, 2024

Women Press Freedom is outraged by SotaVision journalist Antonina Favorskaïa’s ten-day sentence in prison for allegedly refusing to comply with police officers' demands; the arrest is clearly a targeted reprisal for her extensive reporting on Alexei Navalny. We reiterate our condemnation of the Russian government’s complete disregard for press freedom and any form of criticism and dissent. Journalists and activists are continuously detained and targeted with bogus charges for expressing any criticism of the Kremlin and its policies, particularly Russia’s war in Ukraine. Since the death of Alexei Navalny, Women Press Freedom has documented numerous journalists being detained for reporting on memorials to the opposition leader. As Putin begins his new term, without any meaningful opposition, it seems inevitable that the crackdown on freedom of expression and independent press will continue unabated. We urge the international community to resoundingly condemn the actions of the Russian government and provide any support possible to those, like Favorskaïa, facing unjust detention.

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On March 18, 2024, Antonina Favorskaïa, a journalist with SotaVision, was sentenced to ten days of detention by the Nagatinsky District Court of Moscow. The arrest was made under the charge of disobeying the demands of law enforcement officers.

Favorskaïa says she was accosted by seven men in a café on March 17, 2024 shortly after laying flowers at the late opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s grave in Borisovsky Cemetery.

These men, later identified as law enforcement officers, did not introduce themselves or present their credentials. The SotaVision reporter was in the café with two friends, one of Favorskaïa’s friends says that the officers claimed to have received information from an anonymous source alleging their involvement in a crime.

When Favorskaïa declined to show her documents in response to an officer's request, one of them forcefully took her phone after pinning her down on a table. All three women were then escorted out of the café by the officers and taken to the Brateyevo Police Department, where they were detained for three hours. Two of them were released without formal protocols, while Favorskaïa was taken for interrogation and held overnight in detention.

In court, the prosecutor claimed the journalist refused to present her documents to law enforcement officers and engaged in actions deemed confrontational, such as waving her hands demonstratively, grabbing at their uniforms, and attempting to flee.

Favorskaïa asserts that she presented her documents at the police department and linked her detention to her professional activities, particularly her years of reporting on Alexei Navalny.

Navalny’s sudden passing in a Siberian prison colony on February 16, 2024, was a severe blow to those who opposed the Kremlin, with many world leaders blaming Putin for his death. In various Russian cities, including Chelyabinsk, Moscow, and St. Petersburg, Women Press Freedom documented the detention of multiple journalists and activists while covering spontaneous memorial events for the opposition leader.  

Women Press Freedom condemns the absurd charge leveled against journalist Antonina Favorskaïa and calls for her swift and unconditional release. The state of press freedom in Russia has deteriorated from a facade of tolerance by the Kremlin to overt hostility. It has reached a point where it is almost entirely absent in the nation. Since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, the Kremlin has intensified its grip on media, ensuring its narrative on the conflict dominates Russian discourse. Military censorship laws have led to severe penalties for journalists daring to criticize the government's actions in Ukraine, resulting in lengthy prison sentences. The escalating restrictions have driven many journalists and outlets into exile. Even outside the country, the Kremlin continues to harass them for their work through suspected poisoning attempts, charges in absentia and issuing international arrest warrants. We continue to condemn Russia’s attacks on the press and demand it ends its vicious crackdown.

Women Press Freedom is an initiative by The Coalition For Women In Journalism

The Coalition For Women In Journalism is a global organization of support for women journalists. The CFWIJ pioneered mentorship for mid-career women journalists across several countries around the world and is the first organization to focus on the status of free press for women journalists. We thoroughly document cases of any form of abuse against women in any part of the globe. Our system of individuals and organizations brings together the experience and mentorship necessary to help female career journalists navigate the industry. Our goal is to help develop a strong mechanism where women journalists can work safely and thrive.

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