Russian Court Sentences Navalny’s Legal Team to Prison Terms
A Russian court has sentenced three lawyers who represented the deceased opposition leader Alexei Navalny to prison terms ranging from 3.5 to 5.5 years in a penal colony. The verdict was delivered Friday in the Vladimir region, east of Moscow. Igor Sergunin, Alexei Liptser, and Vadim Kobzev, arrested in October 2023, received sentences of 3.5, 5, and 5.5 years respectively. The trial was conducted behind closed doors. In November 2023, the lawyers were added to Russia's official list of "terrorists and extremists." Yulia Navalnaya, widow of Alexei Navalny, responded to the verdicts on X, stating that the three men are "political prisoners and must be released immediately." OVD-Info, a rights organization, expressed concern that prosecuting defense lawyers could undermine the remaining elements of Russia's legal system. The group stated that Navalny's lawyers were prosecuted because "the letter of the law […]