Three lawyers who have defended imprisoned Russian opposition politician Aleksei Navalny have been detained by law enforcement after their houses were searched, according to associates of the Kremlin critic who added that the lawyers are suspected of participating in an extremist community.
Navalny’s groups and organization were labeled as extremist and banned in Russia in 2021. The punishment for taking part in an extremist group’s activities while using the powers of an official position is up to 12 years in prison.
Navalny associate Ivan Zhdanov, who currently resides abroad, named the three lawyers as Vadim Kobzev, Igor Sergunin, and Aleksei Lipster. Vyacheslav Gimadi, the head of the legal department in Navalny’s team, confirmed on X, formerly known as Twitter, the names of the three lawyers.
Navalny’s Team group wrote on Telegram that all three lawyers were detained after the searches.
Russian law enforcement has not confirmed the searches.
In August, judges of the Moscow City Court found Navalny guilty of creating an extremist organization and more than doubled his prison term to 19 years, ruling that one of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s sharpest critics must be transferred to a harsher “special regime” facility, rather than the maximum-security prison where he currently is held.
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Three Navalny Lawyers Detained After Houses Searched By Russian Police
