Freek Van der Vet. “‘When They Come for You’: Legal Mobilization in New Authoritarian Russia.” Law & Society Review, vol. 52, no. 2 (2018): 301-336.
This article investigates how Russian lawyers respond to escalating state repression under the country’s “new authoritarian” legal regime, marked by restrictive laws on NGOs, surveillance, and treason. Drawing on interviews, it explores how lawyers representing individuals accused of treason and human rights organizations adapt to an unpredictable and politicized legal environment. Despite facing unfair courts, selective law enforcement, and dwindling resources, these legal professionals continue to engage in legal mobilization both domestically and at the European Court of Human Rights. The study shows that instead of deterring action, state coercion compels lawyers to innovate their strategies and routines to resist repression and challenge systemic bias. These findings reveal the critical, if constrained, role of attorneys in backsliding democracies, where legal mobilization becomes a form of both survival and resistance within authoritarian institutions.