October 17, 2023

Repression Impacts Lawyers


Repression Impacts Lawyers
Alexei Navalny in court in Moscow, February 20, 2021. Evgeny Feldman, Wikimedia Commons.

Vadim Kobzev, Alexey Liptser, and Igor Sergunin, all of whom have previously defended the opposition politician Alexei Navalny in court, were placed in pre-trial detention. The lawyers have been charged with being part of an "extremist community," a criminal offense that carries a prison sentence of up to six years.

Kobzev was apprehended in Kovrov, where he was expected to attend proceedings related to two of Navalny's claims against the nearby prison where Navalny is serving his sentence. Navalny received news of the arrests during the trial.

"The situation appears reminiscent of Soviet-era repression, with not only political activists facing persecution and imprisonment but also their legal representatives," said Navalny.

The charges against the lawyers stem from letters allegedly sent by Alexei Navalny from his place of detention. This information is derived from case material excerpts published by Ivan Zhdanov, a key figure in Navalny's anti-corruption foundation, FBK.

Authorities assert that Kobzev, Liptser, and Sergunin, by leveraging their legal roles to access Correctional Colony № 6, where Navalny is incarcerated, facilitated the regular transmission of information between FBK and Navalny's associates. This purportedly allowed them to "continue to perform the functions of leaders and facilitators of the extremist community by devising, preparing, facilitating, and engaging in extremist activities."

Perviy Otdel ("The First Department"), a Russian human rights organization, has issued an open appeal to halt the state pressure on lawyers. The statement emphasizes that "defense is not collaboration" and underscores that lawyers are not co-conspirators but rather providers of legal defense, a right enshrined in the Russian Constitution. This appeal has garnered support from over a thousand individuals and organizations.

Tatyana Felgengauer, a Russian journalist, had previously voiced concerns that the authorities in Russia were targeting lawyers. She argued that the authorities' objective is to dismantle the independent legal profession, akin to what transpired in Belarus. From 2020 to 2023, 550 lawyers in Belarus were compelled to cease their legal work due to repression imposed by the Lukashenko regime.

You Might Also Like

Undesirable News
  • June 28, 2023

Undesirable News

The Russian Prosecutor General's has declared Novaya Gazeta Europe "undesirable" due to its independent reporting.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of our Books

The Latchkey Murders
July 01, 2015

The Latchkey Murders

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin is back on the case in this prequel to the popular mystery Murder at the Dacha, in which a serial killer is on the loose in Khrushchev’s Moscow...

Little Golden Calf
February 01, 2010

Little Golden Calf

Our edition of The Little Golden Calf, one of the greatest Russian satires ever, is the first new translation of this classic novel in nearly fifty years. It is also the first unabridged, uncensored English translation ever, and is 100% true to the original 1931 serial publication in the Russian journal 30 Dnei. Anne O. Fisher’s translation is copiously annotated, and includes an introduction by Alexandra Ilf, the daughter of one of the book’s two co-authors.

Faith & Humor
December 01, 2011

Faith & Humor

A book that dares to explore the humanity of priests and pilgrims, saints and sinners, Faith & Humor has been both a runaway bestseller in Russia and the focus of heated controversy – as often happens when a thoughtful writer takes on sacred cows. The stories, aphorisms, anecdotes, dialogues and adventures in this volume comprise an encyclopedia of modern Russian Orthodoxy, and thereby of Russian life.

Survival Russian
February 01, 2009

Survival Russian

Survival Russian is an intensely practical guide to conversational, colloquial and culture-rich Russian. It uses humor, current events and thematically-driven essays to deepen readers’ understanding of Russian language and culture. This enlarged Second Edition of Survival Russian includes over 90 essays and illuminates over 2000 invaluable Russian phrases and words.

A Taste of Chekhov
December 24, 2022

A Taste of Chekhov

This compact volume is an introduction to the works of Chekhov the master storyteller, via nine stories spanning the last twenty years of his life.

Steppe
July 15, 2022

Steppe

This is the work that made Chekhov, launching his career as a writer and playwright of national and international renown. Retranslated and updated, this new bilingual edition is a super way to improve your Russian.

White Magic
June 01, 2021

White Magic

The thirteen tales in this volume – all written by Russian émigrés, writers who fled their native country in the early twentieth century – contain a fair dose of magic and mysticism, of terror and the supernatural. There are Petersburg revenants, grief-stricken avengers, Lithuanian vampires, flying skeletons, murders and duels, and even a ghostly Edgar Allen Poe.

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas
October 01, 2013

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

This exciting new trilogy by a Russian author – who has been compared to Orhan Pamuk and Umberto Eco – vividly recreates a lost world, yet its passions and characters are entirely relevant to the present day. Full of mystery, memorable characters, and non-stop adventure, The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas is a must read for lovers of historical fiction and international thrillers.

 
Jews in Service to the Tsar
October 09, 2011

Jews in Service to the Tsar

Benjamin Disraeli advised, “Read no history: nothing but biography, for that is life without theory.” With Jews in Service to the Tsar, Lev Berdnikov offers us 28 biographies spanning five centuries of Russian Jewish history, and each portrait opens a new window onto the history of Eastern Europe’s Jews, illuminating dark corners and challenging widely-held conceptions about the role of Jews in Russian history.

About Us

Russian Life is the 31-year-old publication of an award-winning publishing house that also creates books, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955