Prosecution requests terms of over 5 years in prison for Alexei Navalny’s lawyers on charges of alleged “extremism”

Vadim Kobzev, Alexei Liptser, and Igor Sergunin, attorneys for the late Alexei Navalny, face prison sentences of over five years for their alleged involvement in an “extremist community,” independent publication Novaya Gazeta reported on Tuesday.

A Russian state prosecutor requested sentences of 5 years and 11 months for Vadim Kobzev, 5 years and 10 months for Alexei Liptser, and 5 years and 6 months for Igor Sergunin — despite him pleading guilty to the charges.

The “community” refers to the Navalny-founded Anti-Corruption Foundation — a now-exiled organization investigating and exposing corruption among high-ranking Russian officials, politicians, and oligarchs. Many of Navalny’s associates and supporters have been charged with extremism in the years since 2021, when the Russian government labeled the ACF and his regional offices as “extremist” organizations. This designation has put former employees, volunteers, and supporters at risk of criminal prosecution.

According to the investigation, the lawyers regularly relayed letters from Navalny to the outside world while he was in prison, allowing him to “continue performing leadership functions” within the “extremist community.” The lawyers have been in pre-trial detention for over a year, and their case has been closed to the public.

A video released by Navalny’s exiled team on Dec. 10 revealed that meetings between the late politician and his lawyers Olga Mikhailova, Vadim Kobzev, and Alexei Liptser in the IK-3 prison colony were secretly recorded by multiple cameras mounted in the ceiling.

Navalny’s team received the footage from an anonymous sender after offering a reward for assistance in investigating the opposition figure’s murder.

On Feb 16, 2024, 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.