Hidden cameras illegally recorded Alexei Navalny’s confidential meetings with his lawyers in prison, and the footage was sent to his team

The footage shows that the messages included political posts for social media, which Navalny passed to his team through his lawyers. Currently, Navalny’s attorneys — Igor Sergunin, Alexei Liptser, and Vadim Kobzev — are on trial for “participation in an extremist organization.”

Many of Navalny’s associates and supporters have been charged with extremism in the years since 2021, when the Russian government labeled Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation and his regional offices as extremist organizations. This designation has put former employees, volunteers, and supporters at risk of criminal prosecution.

During a government meeting on Dec. 10 — the same day that the recordings were made public — Vladimir Putin claimed that “respecting the rights of individuals in places of detention is extremely important.”

Putin’s words were uttered just under ten months to the day — Feb. 16, 2024 — when Russia’s Federal Penitentiary Service reported the death of Alexei Navalny in the IK-3 prison above the Arctic Circle. The politician's family and associates are certain that he was murdered.

Russian government documents corroborate the conclusion that Navalny did not die of natural causes. In late September, The Insider released an investigation based on hundreds of official files related to Navalny’s death. They indicate that the politician was poisoned while in prison in Russia.