Prosecution and detention of protesting lawyers in Russia
17 juni 2020

Prosecution and detention of protesting lawyers in Russia

Russian Federation

On 31 May 2020, known as the Day of Russian Advocacy in the Russian Federation, lawyers Daniil Berman, Alexander Redkin, Dmitry Zakhvatov and Yekaterina Seleznyova were detained during their peaceful protest against the use of force by police officers on their colleagues in the Kabardino-Balkaria Republic.

On 21 May 2020, the authorities in the Kabardino-Balkaria Republic (KBR), located in the North Caucasus, used physical force against lawyers Diana Tsipinova, Ludmila Kochesokova and Natalya Magova who were trying to provide legal assistance to their colleague Ratmir Zhilokov. Ms. Tsipinova resisted the force used against her and was consequently detained and threatened with sexual assault. The KBR Investigative Committee charged her and Mr. Ratmir Zhilokov with the criminal offence of using violence against an officer, provided by Article 318§1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.

Moreover, during a court hearing concerning pre-trial restrictions that took place on 30 May, a restraining order of 2 months was issued against Ms Tsipinova and Mr. Ratmir Zhilokov. The order amounted to a house arrest and preventing the lawyers from performing their professional activities. Reportedly, only 8 out of the 50 lawyers who came to participate in the court hearing were refused by the guards on the grounds of “anti-virus measures”.

On 31 May 2020, the four lawyers Daniil Berman, Alexander Redkin, Dmitry Zakhvatov and Yekaterina Seleznyova started picketing in front of the building of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation to draw public attention to the situation of their colleagues in the KBR and to express concern about systematic violations of lawyers’ professional rights in Russia. Subsequently, the 4 lawyers were detained and charged under Article 3.18.1§2 of the Moscow Code of Administrative Offences (violation of self-isolation regime). 15 lawyers, who arrived to the police station a little later, were denied access to their clients and were forced to wait outside in heavy weather conditions. Not long after, the picketing lawyers were released, but their cases are up for review by the Join Administrative and Technical Inspectorates of the City of Moscow on 18 June 2020.

Lawyers for Lawyers is concerned about the judicial harassment of the lawyers and will continue to monitor their cases and their planned verdict on 18 June.

Meer nieuws uit Russian Federation

22 november 2022

Concluding observations of the UN Human Rights Committee on the eighth periodic report of the Russian Federation

Russian Federation

The UN Human Rights Committee reviewed the compliance of the Russian Federation with its international human rights obligations. On 3 November 2022, the Committee issued the concluding observations of this review, which originally was scheduled in March 2022, i.e. shortly

Lees verder
3 oktober 2022

Joint oral statement to Human Rights Council on the Russian Federation

Russian Federation

On 26 September 2022, Lawyers’ Rights Watch Canada (LRWC), the International Bar Association Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI), International Service for Human Rights (ISHR) and Lawyers for Lawyers delivered an oral statement on the situation of lawyers and human rights defenders

Lees verder
12 juli 2022

Statement on the criminal prosecution and pre-trial detention of Dmitry Talantov

Russian Federation

Lawyers for Lawyers is concerned about the criminal prosecution and pre-trial detention of Dmitry Talantov, human rights lawyer and the president of the Bar Association of the Republic of Udmurtia. In the morning of 28 June 2022, Mr. Talantov was

Lees verder
22 juni 2022

Interview with Daria Korolenko: “We’ve talked about it for a long time, but only now has it become more visible outside of Russia”

Russian Federation

To help or support lawyers from the Russian Federation, the international legal community should use their resources to advocate for the documentation, monitoring and investigation of human rights violations in Russia, says OVD-Info’s Daria Korolenko. OVD-Info OVD-Info is an independent

Lees verder