A court in the Vladimir region of Russia sentenced three former lawyers of the late opposition politician Oleksiy Navalny to three and a half to five and a half years in prison. This is reported by rosZMI.
Vadym Kobzev, Oleksiy Liptser and Igor Sergunin were found guilty of “extremism” because of their involvement in the Anti-Corruption Fund, which was a key project of Navalny. Alexei Navalny, the most famous Russian opposition figure, died in a Russian colony under unknown circumstances in February 2024.
This verdict became another manifestation of the strengthening of repression against the internal opposition in Russia, which became particularly harsh after the start of a full-scale war against Ukraine in 2022. Accusations of “extremism” are often used by the Russian authorities to suppress critics and those who openly condemn the actions of the leadership or military aggression against Ukraine.
According to the verdict, Kobzev received five and a half years in prison, Liptser – five years, and Sergunin – three and a half years. They are also prohibited from practicing law for three years after serving their sentence. The lawyers were detained in October 2023 on charges of “using their professional status” to facilitate connections between the imprisoned Navalny and his organization, which Russian authorities call “extremist.”
