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Russian authorities detain Navalny's lawyers after home raids

2 min read
Russian authorities detain Navalny's lawyers after home raids
Opposition leader Alexei Navalny appears on a screen set up at a courtroom of the Moscow City Court via a video link from his prison colony on May 17, 2022. (Kirill Kudryavtsev/AFP via Getty Images)

Russian law enforcement detained three of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny's lawyers on suspicion of belonging to "an extremist group," Navalny's spokesperson Kira Yarmysh reported on Oct. 13.

"It is another step towards isolating Alexei Navalny and essentially banning him from receiving legal assistance," said Yarmysh.

Vadim Kobzev, Igor Sergunin, and Alexei Liptser were reportedly searched earlier in the day. According to politician Elvira Vikhareva, cited by Navalny's team on Telegram, Russian authorities are also conducting searches at an office of the bar association Dalet, which includes another of Navalny's lawyers, Olga Mikhailova.

"As in Soviet times, they persecute not only political activists and turn them into political prisoners but also their lawyers," Navalny commented when he found out about the searches during a court hearing.

Putin cracks down on pro-war opposition as all-out war falters

Russian law enforcement hasn't confirmed the searches and detentions.  

On Sept. 27, Navalny was transferred to a single-cell room for one year after the Moscow City Court rejected Navalny's appeal against a 19-year sentence on extremism charges.

That sentence is on top of the 11-and-a-half years Navalny is currently serving in a maximum security prison after being convicted in 2020 for fraud and other charges, all of which he denies.

The European Union, the U.S., and the U.K. criticized the court's sentence as politically motivated and demanded the immediate release of Navalny.

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Dinara Khalilova

Reporter

Dinara Khalilova is a reporter at the Kyiv Independent, where she has previously worked as a news editor. In the early weeks of Russia’s full-scale invasion, she worked as a fixer and local producer for Sky News’ team in Ukraine. Dinara holds a BA in journalism from Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv and a Master’s degree in media and communication from the U.K.’s Bournemouth University.

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