He was part of the legal team he represented Alexei Navalny and last week he had accompanied Lyudmila Navalnayathe mother of the dissident who died in an Arctic prison in the city of Salekhard helped her get her son's body back. Vasily Dubkov, one of the former politician's lawyers, was arrested in Moscow for “disturbing public order.” The authorities of the Russian Federation have not yet confirmed the news; instead, it was published by the Novaya Gazeta Europe website and the Sota news agency.
Navalny's lawyer arrested
The whole story is still in the fog. From what little came out, Dubkov was arrested for it Violation of public order, but the details of his detention are not yet known. We know that the man accompanied Navalny after his death Mother of the dissident in Arctic prison colony where the son died on February 16th last year under circumstances that are still unclear.
The Navalny's body After his death, he was held by prison authorities for more than a week. His mother, Lyudmila Navalnaya, as already mentioned, went to the remote prison where her son died to recover his body. During her trip the lady was accompanied by Mr. Dubkov. As a reminder, Navalny's body would have been handed over to his family eight days after his death. Navalnaya also said she was threatened by some officials who wanted her son to be buried “secretly.”
In any case, it is not the first time that members of Navalny's legal team have been arrested. As the BBC recalled, more Navalny lawyers appeared in October 2023 – Vadim Kobzev, Igor Sergunin And Aleksei Lipster – were arrested for “extremism”. In January, Olga Mikhailova, another lawyer for the opposition leader, said she had been accused of the same crime and had decided to remain in exile. The Russian authorities then banned it Anti-Corruption Foundationthe organization led by Navalny will be convicted again in 2021 for “extremism”.
A steep commemoration
Meanwhile, many venues in Russia are refusing to host Navalny's farewell ceremony. The team of the dissident who died in prison called “most private and public funeral homes, commercial spaces and funeral halls,” reported the former politician's spokeswoman. Kira Yarmysh. Some venues say their rooms are full, while others refuse to give Navalny's name. He further wrote: “We still found the space for the ceremony,” he added.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry PeskovMeanwhile, he said he was not aware of calls for protests by Navalny supporters in honor of the late opponent, but warned of the consequences for those who take part in such protests. “I have neither seen nor heard these appeals,” the Kremlin spokesman noted. “These people (Navalny's supporters) are widely known for their provocative appeals.” This, he explained, was “a very, very harmful practice. It has legal and criminal consequences for those who respond in any way to these calls.” Tensions in Russia remain high.