Russia’s Supreme Court on August 20 extended the pretrial detention of three lawyers who once represented slain Russian opposition politician, Aleksei Navalny, and are now facing charges of extremism. Vadim Kobzev, Igor Sergunin, and Aleksei Liptser were arrested in October in a case widely seen as a means to ramp up pressure on Navalny. According to his allies, authorities accused the lawyers of using their status to pass letters from the imprisoned opposition politician to his team, thus serving as intermediaries between Navalny and what they called his “extremist group.” The Supreme Court also denied a request to transfer the case away from a court in Russia’s western Vladimir region.
Russia's Top Court Extends Detention For Navalny's Lawyers Pending Trial On Extremism Charges
The late Russian opposition politician Aleksei Navalny (file photo)