Navalny died in February in an Arctic prison, where he was serving a 19-year sentence for leading an “extremist” organization.
Supporters of the opposition believe that Navalny was killed and blame dictator Vladimir Putin for his death.
Following Navalny’s death, Russian authorities have stepped up their campaign against the Kremlin critic’s supporters, allies and family, with journalists covering his court hearings detained and his widow, Yulia Navalnaya, blacklisted as a “terrorist and extremist”.
On Thursday, the trial of three of his former lawyers – Vadim Kobzev, Alexey Liptser and Igor Sergunin – began in the Vladimir District Court, according to AFP journalists who were in the courtroom.
The three lawyers, who were arrested in October 2023, have been charged with membership in an “extremist” organization, which carries a maximum sentence of six years in prison.
Investigators say they passed messages between the jailed Navalny and his associates, helping the Kremlin critic continue his banned political activities while in prison.
At the time, Navalny’s team explained that the detention of the lawyers was an attempt to further isolate Navalny in prison, where he spent most of his time in solitary confinement.
At the pre-trial hearing, Sergunin admitted his guilt, independent media reports, while Kobzevs and Liptsers denied the charges.
2024-09-13 19:31:43