Three attorneys who previously represented the late Russian opposition figure, Alexei Navalny, are currently facing trial in Russia, in a move viewed as part of the Kremlin’s ongoing crackdown on dissent. The lawyers — Vadim Kobzev, Igor Sergunin, and Alexei Liptser — were arrested in October 2023 on allegations of involvement with an extremist organization. This case is widely perceived as an attempt to increase pressure on Navalny and to discourage defense lawyers from taking on political cases.
At the time of their arrest, Navalny was already serving a 19-year prison sentence due to various criminal convictions, which included extremism charges. These extremism allegations against Navalny originated from a 2021 court ruling that deemed his organizations, the Foundation for Fighting Corruption and a network of regional offices, as extremist groups, subjecting anyone associated with them to legal prosecution.
Navalny’s allies claim that the lawyers were accused by authorities of using their roles as defense attorneys to convey letters from Navalny to his team, essentially acting as intermediaries with what officials consider his “extremist group.”
Navalny, a vocal critic of President Vladimir Putin and a 47-year-old anti-corruption activist, was arrested upon his return to Russia in January 2021, following treatment in Germany for a nerve agent poisoning he attributed to the Kremlin. Despite rejecting all charges as politically motivated, Navalny faced multiple trials that extended his imprisonment to a total of 19 years.
After being held in two separate penal colonies in the Vladimir region up until December 2023, Navalny was transferred to a remote prison above the Arctic Circle. His sudden death behind bars in February 2024, which his team and widow allege was a Kremlin-ordered murder, has been denied by officials.
The trial of the three lawyers is currently underway in Petushki, located about 100 kilometers (60 miles) east of Moscow in the Vladimir region. Despite requests from their attorneys to move the proceedings to Moscow, where the lawyers were initially detained, the pleas were rejected. In June, it was reported that the lawyers had been transferred to a detention center in the Vladimir region.
The judge at the Petushki District Court, responding to a prosecution request, decided on Thursday to close the trial to the public and media, despite objections from the defense. Two more lawyers who represented Navalny are now wanted, with one charged with extremism in absentia after leaving the country and the other confirming he is no longer in Russia.
Regular visits from lawyers, particularly in remote areas, are crucial for many political prisoners in Russia to keep in touch with loved ones, ensure their well-being is reported, and address any mistreatment by prison personnel. Human rights advocates from Memorial, a prominent Russian rights organization and Nobel Peace Prize winner in 2022, have labeled Kobzev, Liptser, and Sergunin as political prisoners and are demanding their immediate release.
