The Basmanny District Court of Moscow extended the arrest of the lawyers of politician Alexei Navalny, Vadim Kobzev, Alexei Liptser and Igor Sergunin, until March 13, a Mediazona correspondent reported.
The preventive measure was extended for Sergunin separately, for Liptser and Kobzev — together.
Lawyer Igor Sergunin in court. Photo: Medizona
The meetings were held behind closed doors. Liptser and Kobzev objected to the closure of the meeting.
Vadim Kobzev (left) and Alexey Liptser (right) in court. Photo: Mediazona
Three lawyers are accused of participation in an extremist community (Part 2 of Article 282.1 of the Criminal Code). They have been in pre-trial detention since October 13. In November, Kobzev, Liptser and Sergunin were included in the “list of extremists and terrorists” of Rosfinmonitoring.
According to investigators, Navalny’s defenders, “using their status,” regularly passed on letters from the oppositionist of their colony to his associates. Thus, Navalny “continued to carry out the functions of the leader and director of the extremist community.”
After the arrest of Liptser, Kobzev and Sergunin, Navalny’s fourth lawyer, Alexander Fedulov, left Russia due to the persecution of his colleagues. Now Navalny is defended by Leonid Solovyov — the day before, employees of the Vladimir correctional colony No. 6 did not allow him to see his client after seven hours of waiting.
Currently, IK-6 censors continue to confiscate “100% of letters” from Navalny from his lawyers — even an application for an appointment with a dentist given to him, which was determined “as containing signs of a crime.” Prior to this, the colony notified Navalny that censorship had “seized and burned” two emails addressed to him.
The oppositionist is challenging the resolution of the head of the colony, Dmitry Nozhkin, dated September 8, 2022, on the control of letters, post cards, telegraph and other messages between him and his lawyers in court.
< span class="mz-publish-context-cite__text">Navalny’s lawyers in the pre-trial detention center. Who are Vadim Kobzev, Alexey Liptser and Igor Sergunin