The trial of four Russian journalists associated with the late opposition leader Aleksei Navalny -- including two who have worked for international news agencies -- has begun behind closed doors in a court in Moscow.
Antonina Favorskaya, Sergei Karelin, Konstantin Gabov, and Artyom Kriger are accused of participating in extremist activities for allegedly contributing to YouTube channels affiliated with Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK).
Gabov and Karelin are freelance journalists who have worked for several news organizations, including, respectively, Reuters and the Associated Press.
Favorskaya and Kriger both work for the independent news outlet SOTAVision, which has been designated a "foreign agent" in Russia.
The journalists each face up to six years in prison if convicted.
The FBK and related organizations were labeled "extremist" by the Russian authorities in 2021, making any association with them a criminal offense.
Dozens of journalists are currently in detention in Russia on similar grounds, according to human rights groups.
The court closed the proceedings to the public citing a warning from Russia's Center for Combating Extremism alleging that the FBK may try to disrupt the trial, which is part of a broader crackdown on Navalny's former associates.
"This is just some kind of archaism. This is how they do it in totalitarian regimes," the independent news outlet Mediazona quoted Kriger as telling the judge before the public was cleared from the court room.
Navalny, who died in prison in February under controversial circumstances, was serving a 19-year sentence on charges widely seen as politically motivated.
His death has sparked further scrutiny and allegations of foul play.