Three of Navalny's Lawyers on Trial in Russia

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In Russia, three lawyers of the late opposition leader Alexei Navalny have been put on trial for alleged extremism. The trial of Vadim Kobzev, Alexei Liptser, and Igor Sergunin began today at a court in the Vladimir region, east of Moscow, as reported by a journalist from the AFP news agency. If convicted, they face prison sentences of up to six years.

At the start of the hearing, the three men were led into a metal cage in the courtroom. The judge then granted a prosecution request to hold the session behind closed doors, forcing spectators and journalists to leave the room.

The lawyers were arrested in October 2023. They are accused of being members of an "extremist" organization. According to investigators, they acted as intermediaries between Navalny and his supporters outside prison, enabling the opposition leader to continue his political activities while in detention.

At the time of the lawyers' arrest, Navalny’s team stated that it was an attempt to further isolate the Kremlin critic, who was still alive at the time, and spent most of his time in solitary confinement.

During a pretrial hearing, Sergunin pleaded guilty, while Kobzev and Liptser denied the charges.