Five journalists working for independent media were detained in Russia this morning as part of a crackdown on anyone who challenges the regime.
The first two people detained early in the morning were Ekaterina Anikevich from the independent news agency SOTAvision and Konstantin Zharov from the journalistic portal RusNews, the humanitarian organization OVD-Info, which specializes in monitoring repression in Russia, said on Thursday.
According to the organization, citing a witness at the scene, Zharov was beaten by police officers and threatened them with sexual violence.
“They kicked me, put their foot on my head, twisted my fingers and laughed at me when I tried to get up,” Zharov told RusNews, adding that he had a wound on his head, bruises, dislocated fingers and sprains.
The journalist explained that the episode of violence was provoked by footage filmed near the home of another journalist, Antonina Favorskaya from SOTAvision, who was arrested on Wednesday evening as soon as she was released from another 10-day arrest for “disobeying the laws.” police”.
A search was carried out in the apartment of this journalist, as well as in the apartment of her parents, said her lawyer Mikhail Biryukov, quoted by SOTAvision.
Two other journalists, Alexandra Astakhova and Anastasia Musatova, who went to meet a colleague to see her released, were also detained and taken in for questioning by investigators, the same source said.
According to the online newspaper Mediazona, which specializes in monitoring trials, the case against Favorskaya is related to the activities of the opposition movement of Alexei Navalny, who died in prison in February. All organizations that support him are classified by Russian justice as “extremist.”
Antonina Favorskaya has been covering the trials of Alexei Navalny for many years and shot the latest video in which an opponent of the Kremlin (Russian presidency) appears alive on February 15 during a court hearing.
According to Mediazona, the journalist was detained on March 17, just a few hours after he laid flowers on Navalny’s grave.