The United States condemns today’s sentencing of Vadim Kobzev, Igor Sergunin, and Aleksey Liptser. These attorneys for late opposition politician Aleksey Navalny were sentenced to prison terms for allegedly participating in a so-called “extremist group.” In this case, the Kremlin arrested and intimidated lawyers who were simply doing their jobs to ensure a political prisoner was afforded his right to legal representation, turning defense lawyers into political prisoners themselves. This is yet another example of the persecution of defense lawyers by the Kremlin in its effort to undermine human rights, subvert the rule of law, and suppress dissent.
