Russia jails lawyers who acted for late opposition leader Alexei Navalny

The trio were arrested as authorities intensified pressure on the jailed Kremlin critic, who died last February.

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Vadim Kobzev, Igor Sergunin and Alexei Liptser were arrested in October 2023 as Russian authorities intensified pressure on the jailed Kremlin critic, who died suddenly last February in an Arctic prison colony.

They were put on trial behind closed doors in Petushki, a town east of Moscow, and accused of "using their status" to relay messages between Navalny and his colleagues.

Navalny had condemned the case as just like Soviet times, and an indication of "the state of rule of law in Russia".

Igor Sergunin was the only one of the three to admit the charge, according to independent reports, and was given a lighter sentence of three-and-a-half years.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ce3nnvq7kplo

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