Russian authorities arrest lawyers who represented Putin critic Navalny
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Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny (center) with members of his legal team in courtroom in Pokrov, Russia, in 2022. Photo: Mikhail Svetlov/Getty Images
Russian authorities arrested lawyers representing opposition leader Alexei Navalny on Friday in what his allies say is part of a continued effort to isolate him and reduce his political influence.
Why it matters: Navalny's spokesperson said that by arresting three of his lawyers, authorities have sent a warning to other attorneys against representing the prominent critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
- The move is the latest display of the Kremlin's yearslong crackdown on political dissent in the country, which ramped up following Russia's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.
Details: Kira Yarmysh, Navalny's spokesperson, said the arrests came shortly before at least one of the lawyers was supposed to represent Navalny in a hearing on Friday.
- Navalny's team said that the lawyers, Vadim Kobzev, Igor Sergunin, and Aleksei Liptser, were accused of being members of an "extremist community" after their Moscow apartments were raided by police.
- They face up to six years in prison over the charges, which are similar to accusations used in a recent criminal case against Navalny.
- Because they will now be locked up awaiting trial, the lawyers will not be able to see their client — or know of his whereabouts — right as Navalny is set to be transferred to a "special security penal facility," his team said.
What they're saying: "This is an act of intimidation with a clear intention to strengthen Navalny's isolation from the outer world," said Leonid Volkov, Navalny chief of staff, on social media.
- Navalny, in a recording posted by his team on social media, said the arrest of his defense mimics political repression tactics used by Soviet authorities.
The big picture: Previously, Russian authorities charged Navalny with founding an extremist group and other extremism-related crimes for, in part, establishing the Anti-Corruption Foundation to expose financial malfeasance within the Kremlin.
- His allies argued that the extremism-related charges stemmed from authorities retroactively criminalizing his anti-corruption foundation's activities.
- A Russian judge outlawed the foundation and several other several organizations created by Navalny after finding them "extremist" in nature, meaning anyone associated with them could face prison sentences of up to 10 years.
- Over the extremism charges, he was sentenced to 19 more years in prison, as he was already serving an 11-year sentence for allegedly committing fraud and being in contempt of court.
Go deeper: WSJ reporter Evan Gershkovich loses appeal in Russian court
