A Moscow court on October 3 extended the pretrial detention of noted Russian journalist Nadezhda Kevorkova, who says she is innocent of charges of "justifying terrorism," until at least November 6.
Kevorkova, 65, was arrested in May and charged under Part 2 of Article 205.2 of the Russian Criminal Code, which covers public calls for terrorist activities, justifying terrorism, or promoting terrorism through the Internet.
The charges stem from two incidents: the first involving a post on her Telegram channel in 2018, where she shared an article written by her once close friend, the late journalist Orkhan Dzhemal.
Dzhemal, along with two other Russian journalists, was killed in July 2018 in the Central African Republic while investigating the local activities of the Wagner Group, a Russian private military company.
The article Kevorkova posted related to a 2010 attack by separatists on government buildings in Nalchik, the capital of Russia's North Caucasus region of Kabardino-Balkaria.
The second incident in the case involves Kevorkova's alleged justification of the Taliban in 2021. The Taliban is recognized as a terrorist organization and banned in Russia.
Kevorkova, a graduate of Moscow State University’s History Department, has had a long career in journalism, starting in 1997.
She worked with the Nezavisimaya gazeta newspaper and served as a special correspondent in the United States. Over the years, she reported from conflict zones in Lebanon, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, Iraq, Turkey, Sudan, Syria, the Gaza Strip, and the North Caucasus, focusing on Muslim rights and conflicts in the region.
Kevorkova's contributions to journalism earned her a nomination for the International Women of Courage Award in 2010.
She was previously married to Maksim Shevchenko, a prominent Russian political commentator and politician.
The case against Kevorkova has raised concerns about press freedom in Russia, as journalists continue to face growing risks of persecution under broad terrorism and extremism laws.