Russian police detain journalist who filmed last video of Alexei Navalny alive

A journalist who filmed nan past video of Russian guidance leader Alexei Navalny earlier he died, Antonina Favorskaya, has been detained by authorities.

Favorskaya covered nan tests of Navalny for respective years and media state organisation Reporters Without Borders said connected Thursday she was 1 of six journalists crossed nan state held this month.

Russian authorities detained Favorskaya precocious connected Wednesday and accused her of taking portion successful an “extremist organisation” by posting connected nan societal media platforms of Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation, nan Russian quality authorities group OVD-Info said.

Navalny’s spokeswoman Kira Yarmysh, said that Favorskaya didn’t people thing connected nan foundation’s platforms and suggested that Russian authorities targeted her because she was doing her occupation arsenic a journalist.

Navalny died successful an Arctic penal colony in February.

OVD-Info said that Favorskaya was initially detained connected 17 March aft laying flowers connected Navalny’s grave.

She spent 10 days successful jailhouse aft being accused of disobedience towards nan police, but erstwhile that play of detention ended, authorities charged her again and ordered her to look connected Friday successful Moscow’s Basmanny District Court, OVD-Info said.

She is 1 of respective Russian journalists targeted by authorities arsenic portion of a sweeping crackdown against dissent successful Russia.

Two different journalists, Alexandra Astakhova and Anastasia Musatova, were besides temporarily detained aft they came to meet Favorskaya successful nan detention centre wherever she was being held, Reporters Without Borders said.

Ekaterina Anikievich, of nan Russian news tract SOTAvision, and Konstantin Yarov from RusNews, were besides detained by constabulary while covering nan hunt of Favorskaya’s home.

Yarov told RusNews that he was beaten while successful custody: “They kicked me, put a ft connected my head, twisted my fingers, mocked maine erstwhile I tried to get up, demanded to show my rucksack arsenic if it mightiness incorporate explosives.”

In Ufa, 1,300km (800 miles) eastbound of Moscow, Russian authorities detained Olga Komleva, a newsman for RusNews, connected Wednesday.

They besides accused her of extremism and engagement pinch Navalny and his organisation, according to Reporters Without Borders.

Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation has been designated an extremist organisation by Russian authorities, which intends that group associated pinch it tin look situation sentences.

With Associated Press and AFP