MOSCOW: A Moscow court on Friday ordered a journalist who covered the trials of late Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny to be held in pre-trial detention on “extremism” charges.
Prosecutors say Antonina Kravtsova, a correspondent for the independent SotaVision outlet, participated in an “extremist organization,” charges which carry up to six years in prison.
The Kremlin outlawed Navalny’s organizations as “extremist” before his death and has carried out a crackdown against his allies who stayed in Russia.
“The Basmanny District Court ordered Antonina Kravtsova to be remanded in custody for a period of two months,” the press service for Moscow courts said in a post on Telegram.
Kravtsova, who also goes by the name Antonina Favorskaya, regularly covered Navalny’s trials. She filmed a court hearing of him a day before he died in an Arctic prison colony last month.
She was arrested upon leaving jail earlier this week, where she had already served a 10-day sentence on charges of disobeying police orders.
She had originally been detained hours after visiting Navalny’s grave in southern Moscow during the Russian presidential election.
Prosecutors say Kravtsova posted materials on Navalny’s social media platforms that are banned in Russia.
In court on Friday, Kravtsova said the case was retribution for an article she wrote about how Navalny was “tortured” in prison, SotaVision reported.
The article was shared on X by Navalny’s wife, Yulia Navalnaya, who described it as an “important text.”
Navalny’s team has condemned the case and on Friday said the Russian regime was trying to create a “new wave of fear” among its critics.
Russian court orders journalist in Navalny case detained
https://arab.news/zej2r
Russian court orders journalist in Navalny case detained
- SotaVision correspondent Antonina Kravtsova to be held in pre-trial detention on “extremism” charges
- Kravtsova is accused of participating in an “extremist organization” and posting prohibited material on Navalny's platform
BBC backs Israel’s participation in Eurovision Song Contest amid expanding boycott
- Ireland, Spain, the Netherlands and Slovenia withdraw, citing concerns about the war in Gaza, after organizers clear Israel to compete
- Critics accuse organizers of double standards, given that Russia was banned from Eurovision in 2022 after invasion of Ukraine
LONDON: The BBC has backed the European Broadcasting Union’s decision to allow Israel to participate in the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest, despite mounting opposition and an expanding boycott by European countries and public broadcasters.
National broadcasters in Ireland, Spain, the Netherlands and Slovenia have formally withdrawn from next year’s event, citing what they described as Israel’s violations of international law during its ongoing war on Gaza, which has killed more than 70,000 people, left much of the territory in ruins and prompted accusations of war crimes.
The BBC, however, said it backed the decision to allow Israel to take part in the contest.
“We support the collective decision made by members of the EBU,” a BBC spokesperson said. “This is about enforcing the rules of the EBU and being inclusive.”
Israel’s participation in the 2026 event, set to take place in the Austrian capital Vienna in May, was confirmed during the EBU’s general assembly in Geneva on Thursday.
However, pressure continued to build in opposition to the decision, with broadcasters from four countries pulling out and critics accusing organizers of double standards, given that Russia was banned from Eurovision in 2022 after the invasion of Ukraine.
Following the EBU decision, Irish public broadcaster RTE said it would neither participate in nor screen the contest. It said Ireland’s participation “remains unconscionable given the appalling loss of lives in Gaza and the humanitarian crisis there.” It also condemned the killing of journalists in Gaza and the denial of access to the international media. More than 200 Palestinian journalists have reportedly been killed since the start of the war.
Slovenian broadcaster RTV said it was withdrawing from the competition “on behalf of the 20,000 children who died in Gaza.” Chairperson Natalija Gorscak said the decision reflected growing public demand to uphold European values of peace and press freedoms, noting that the international media are still banned from Gaza.
She added that Israel’s 2025 Eurovision performance had been overtly political, and contrasted the decision about Israel with the ban on Russia’s participation following the invasion of Ukraine.
Dutch broadcaster AVROTROS also withdrew from the contest, describing the decision of the EBU as “incompatible with the public values that are essential to us.”
CEO Taco Zimmerman said: “Culture unites, but not at all costs. What happened last year touches our boundaries … Universal values like humanity and a free press have been seriously violated.”
The EBU did not hold a vote on Israel’s participation in the contest. Instead, member broadcasters voted in favor of new rules for contest voting to prevent governments or other groups from unfairly promoting songs to manipulate the result.
Austria, which is set to host the competition after Viennese singer JJ won this year with “Wasted Love,” supports Israel’s participation. Germany, too, was said to back Israel.
