Three lawyers who defended Alexey Navalny, the Russian opposition leader who died in prison last year, have been found guilty and jailed for several years. Igor Sergunin, Alexei Liptser, and Vadim Kobzev were sentenced behind closed doors in a court east of Moscow to three-and-a-half, five, and five-and-a-half years respectively.
Prosecutors accused the lawyers of using their status to pass letters written by Navalny during his time in prison to his associates, allowing him to continue leading an “extremist organization”. The Russian government denied involvement in Navalny’s death but many Western countries blamed President Vladimir Putin. Human rights groups say the sentencing shows the Kremlin is cracking down on opposition.
The sentencing has been widely condemned, including by the United States, which said the lawyers were arrested for simply doing their jobs. Amnesty International described it as a “shameful attempt to silence those who dared to defend Navalny”. The group called for the lawyers’ unconditional release, saying it was a threat to the right to legal defense.
Navalny died in February last year after being sentenced to 19 years on extremism charges he denied. Western countries and his allies believe Putin was involved in his death. Last April, two Russian journalists were accused of producing content for Navalny’s YouTube channel. Navalny’s widow Yulia said the lawyers are “political prisoners” who must be released immediately.
Source: https://edition.cnn.com/2025/01/17/europe/navalny-lawyers-sentenced-penal-colony-russia-intl/index.html