PETUSHKI, Russia — A district court in Petushki sentenced three lawyers who previously represented the late opposition figure Alexei Navalny on Friday, amid a sweeping crackdown by the Kremlin on dissent reminiscent of the Soviet era.
Vadim Kobzev, Igor Sergunin, and Alexei Liptser were handed sentences between three and a half to five years. These lawyers had been detained since October 2023, facing charges connected to extremist groups that authorities associated with Navalny’s network.
This trial has been interpreted as an effort to exert greater pressure on the opposition and to deter legal representatives from engaging in political cases.
A U.S. State Department spokesman labeled the convictions as unjust, condemning the action against lawyers who were merely fulfilling their duty to provide legal representation for a political prisoner. “This is yet another manifestation of the Kremlin’s relentless pursuit to undermine human rights, disturb the rule of law, and repress dissent,” he stated, urging for the immediate release of all political prisoners.
Navalny, who was serving a 19-year sentence on multiple criminal allegations, including extremism, passed away last year in an Arctic penal facility. While in court on January 10, Kobzev expressed that they were being prosecuted for “sharing Navalny’s ideas with others.”
Additionally, Mediazona, a notable independent news outlet, reported that three journalists present during the sentencing were detained and taken into custody by police.
In 2021, Navalny’s networks were classified as extremist, following a ruling that targeted his organization—the Foundation for Fighting Corruption and its associated regional offices. This verdict was criticized as politically driven and an attempt to hinder Navalny’s influence.
Authorities accused the convicted lawyers of utilizing their roles to relay information between Navalny and his associates. Navalny, a prominent anti-corruption activist and vocal opponent of President Vladimir Putin, was arrested in 2021 upon returning from Germany after recovering from a poisoning incident he attributed to the Kremlin. Initially sentenced to serve 2.5 years, additional trials later extended his imprisonment to 19 years, a move his supporters regarded as a blatant political maneuver aimed at imprisoning him indefinitely.
In December 2023, Navalny was transferred from a penal colony to one located above the Arctic Circle, where he died on February 16, 2024, at the age of 47 under unclear circumstances. His widow, Yulia Navalnaya, and other supporters alleged he was killed on the Kremlin’s orders, a claim that officials have denied.
Furthermore, two additional lawyers of Navalny—Olga Mikhailova and Alexander Fedulov—are currently on a wanted list and have since left Russia. Mikhailova, who represented Navalny for a decade, mentioned that she is facing charges in absentia for extremism.
Kobzev, Liptser, and Sergunin have been categorized as political prisoners by Memorial, a leading human rights organization in Russia that was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2022, which has called for their immediate release.
Recent reports from independent Russian media indicated that Konstantin Kotov, an activist accused of donating to Navalny’s organization, fled Russia just before he was scheduled to appear in court. He shared with Mediazona that he made this decision after learning that a heart surgeon, Dr. Ivan Tishchenko, was sentenced to four years in prison for contributing approximately $34 to Navalny’s organization.
