Human rights lawyer’s car set on fire
Russian Federation
On 4 november during the night the car of human rights lawyer Lyudmila Aleksandrovna was set on fire. This was reported by Frontline Defenders on their website.
Lyudmila Aleksandrovna is a lawyer working in the Krasnodar region. There have been several cases of harassment of human rights lawyers in this region. She is currently representing the defence’s only witness in the case of Mikhail Benyash.
On the night of 4 November 2018 Aleksandrovna’s car, which was parked next to her house, was set on fire. Her neighbors quickly noticed the fire and further damage to cars parked nearby or houses could be prevented. According to Lyudmila Aleksandrova, the damage that the incident caused her amounts to 500 000 RUB (around 6 600 EUR).
Three days before the incident Lyudmila Aleksandrovna represented her client in the case of Benyash. On 9 September 2018 Mikhail Benyash was violently arrested, while attempting to provide legal assistance to participants in a peaceful rally against pension reforms. Lyudmila Aleksandrovna’s client witnessed the ill-treatment of Mikhail Benyash by the police.
Lyudmila Aleksandrova has previously been harassed when between 2008 and 2016 her defence lawyer’s licence was withdrawn following a criminal conviction for slander in connection to her complaint to the President of Russia about raids by militia.