Four Russian journalists went on trial in Moscow on Wednesday on charges of involvement in an "extremist" group after authorities accused them of working for the banned organization of the late dissident Alexei Navalny.
The cases against Antonina Favorskaya, Sergei Karelin, Konstantin Gabov and Artem Kriger highlight the increasingly precarious position of journalists inside Russia, where press freedom groups say dozens are currently behind bars.
After about 30 minutes of open proceedings in court, the judge granted a prosecution request to evict press and spectators for the remainder of the trial on the basis of a letter from the counterextremism department of the interior ministry that Navalny supporters were preparing "provocations."
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