This Sunday, the European Union asked Russian authorities to “immediately” release three lawyers for Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who is in prison, so they can continue practicing and meeting their client.
“The EU calls for their immediate release. They must be able to carry out their legal duties and meet their client, who has been wrongly isolated,” Peter Stano, spokesperson for the EU High Representative for Foreign Policy Josep Borrell, said on social media. network
The detained lawyers are Vadim Kobzev, Igor Sergunin and Alexei Lipster, all three of whom have defended or are currently defending Navalny.
According to their team, they were arrested two days ago for alleged involvement with an “extremist” community.
The spokesperson stated that the legal system in Russia has once again been “instrumentalized for repression.”
“Following Navalni’s arrest for political reasons, his lawyers have now been arrested,” Stano said.
The head of the legal department of Navalni’s team, Vyacheslav Gimadi, wrote on the social network X that the lawyers are being held under Article 91 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, which means they have the status of suspects and not witnesses.
Navalny, 47, who was already serving a nine-year prison sentence for alleged fraud, was sentenced last August to a further 19 years in prison for setting up an extremist organization, a reference to the FBK, founded in 2011 and banned for two years .
FBK greatly irritated the Kremlin as it exposed the illegal enrichment of high-ranking officials, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, who accused it in 2021 of owning a lavish palace on the shores of the Black Sea.
In addition, he was also accused of financing and inciting extremist activities, setting up an organization that violated the rights of citizens and involving minors in dangerous actions, referring to unauthorized opposition demonstrations.
Source: DN
