Current:Home > MyKremlin foe Navalny’s lawyers to remain in detention at least through mid-March, Russian court rules -BeyondProfit Compass
Kremlin foe Navalny’s lawyers to remain in detention at least through mid-March, Russian court rules
View
Date:2025-04-12 17:10:12
TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — A Moscow court extended on Thursday pre-trial detentions for three lawyers who once represented imprisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny. The three were arrested in October on charges of participating in an extremist group, a case widely seen as a means to ramp up pressure on the politician.
The Basmanny District Court ruled that Vadim Kobzev, Igor Sergunin and Alexei Liptser will remain behind bars at least until March 13.
According to Navalny’s allies, authorities accuse the lawyers of using their status as defense attorneys to pass letters from the imprisoned politician to his team. Both Navalny’s Foundation for Fighting Corruption and a vast network of regional offices were outlawed as extremist organizations in 2021, a step that exposed anyone involved with them to prosecution.
Since January 2021, Navalny has been serving a 19-year sentence on charges of extremism. As President Vladimir Putin’s fiercest foe, he campaigned against official corruption and organized major anti-Kremlin protests. His 2021 arrest came upon his return to Moscow from Germany, where he recuperated from nerve agent poisoning that he blamed on the Kremlin.
Navalny has since been handed three prison terms and spent months in isolation in prison for alleged minor infractions. He has rejected all charges against him as politically motivated.
His team says that by targeting his lawyers, authorities are seeking to increase his isolation further. For many political prisoners in Russia, regular visits from lawyers — especially in remote regions — are a lifeline as it allows their families to know their lawyers have seen them, and also lets the prisoners report any abuse by prison officials.
The Kremlin has been carrying out an unrelenting crackdown on dissent in recent years, and ramped up pressure after invading Ukraine in February 2022. Since then and until early this month, 19,844 people have been detained for speaking out or protesting against the war while 776 people have been implicated in criminal cases over their anti-war stance, according to the OVD-Info rights group, which tracks political arrests and provides legal aid.
The case of Alexei Moskalyov, a 54-year-old single father convicted over social media posts criticizing the war in Ukraine, has drawn international condemnation. His lawyer and supporters say his troubles began after his teenage daughter’s anti-war drawing in school. He was sentenced in March to two years in prison; his daughter, after a stint at an orphanage, reportedly now lives with her mother.
Moskalyov lost his appeal in July, but a higher appellate court on Wednesday ordered a review of his appeal, citing “gross violations of criminal law” — a rare development in a country where judges most often side with the prosecution. It wasn’t immediately clear when a new hearing of the appeal would take place.
In addition to going after those who oppose the invasion, authorities have also actively targeted longtime Kremlin critics and human rights activists.
On Wednesday, a court in Moscow ruled to extend the arrest of Grigory Melkonyants, one of the leaders of Golos, a prominent independent election monitoring group, who was arrested in August on charges of involvement with an “undesirable” organization.
Golos was founded in 2000 and has played a key role in independent monitoring of elections in Russia. Over the years, it has faced mounting pressure from authorities. In 2013, the group was designated as a “foreign agent” — a label that implies additional government scrutiny and is widely shunned. Three years later, it was liquidated as a nongovernmental organization by Russia’s Justice Ministry.
Golos has continued to operate without registering as an NGO, exposing violations at various elections. In 2021, it was added to a new registry of “foreign agents,” created by the Justice Ministry for groups that are not registered as a legal entity in Russia. It has not been labeled “undesirable,” which under a 2015 law makes involvement with such organizations a criminal offense. But it was once a member of the European Network of Election Monitoring Organizations, a group that was declared “undesirable” in Russia in 2021.
veryGood! (449)
Related
- Warm inflation data keep S&P 500, Dow, Nasdaq under wraps before Fed meeting next week
- Mexican journalist abducted and killed after taking his daughters to school: Every day we count victims
- White House considers welcoming some Palestinians from war-torn Gaza as refugees
- 'Dad' of Wally, the missing emotional support alligator, makes tearful plea for his return
- US wholesale inflation accelerated in November in sign that some price pressures remain elevated
- U.S. bans most uses of paint-stripping solvent after dozens of deaths
- 9-year-old's heroic act saves parents after Oklahoma tornado: Please don't die, I will be back
- These are the most dangerous jobs in America
- McKinsey to pay $650 million after advising opioid maker on how to 'turbocharge' sales
- Florida Says No to Federal Funding Aimed at Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Ranking
- What do we know about the mysterious drones reported flying over New Jersey?
- Dance Moms' JoJo Siwa and Kalani Hilliker Reveal Why They’re Still Close to Abby Lee Miller
- Why Melanie Lynskey Didn't Know She Was Engaged to Jason Ritter for 3 Days
- The Islamic State group says it was behind a mosque attack in Afghanistan that killed 6 people
- Rams vs. 49ers highlights: LA wins rainy defensive struggle in key divisional game
- Man snags $14,000 Cartier earrings for under $14 due to price error, jeweler honors price
- 9-year-old's heroic act saves parents after Oklahoma tornado: Please don't die, I will be back
- Why Olivia Culpo Dissolved Her Lip Fillers Ahead of Her Wedding to Christian McCaffrey
Recommendation
Toyota to invest $922 million to build a new paint facility at its Kentucky complex
Former USWNT star Carli Lloyd pregnant with her first child
Live Nation's Concert Week is here: How to get $25 tickets to hundreds of concerts
300 arrested in Columbia, City College protests; violence erupts at UCLA: Live updates
Grammy nominee Teddy Swims on love, growth and embracing change
E. coli outbreak: Walnuts sold in at least 19 states linked to illnesses in California and Washington
India politician seeking reelection accused of making 3,000 sexual assault videos, using them for blackmail
Yankees' Juan Soto stares down Orioles pitcher after monstrous home run