In a chilling escalation of its crackdown on dissent, a Russian court has sentenced three of Alexei Navalny’s former lawyers — Vadim Kobzev, Alexei Liptser, and Igor Sergunin — to multiple years in prison for …
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Judges vs spies: Pakistan’s jurists accuse intel agency ISI of intimidation
In a rare and bold move, six senior judges from Pakistan’s Islamabad High Court have publicly accused the country’s powerful intelligence agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), of interfering in judicial affairs. Their open letter details …
Defending Human Rights in Russia Feels Hopeless. But I Still Do It
In this deeply personal piece for The Moscow Times, journalist and researcher Dan Storyev reflects on the emotional toll and moral imperative of working for OVD-Info, a leading Russian human rights watchdog. Amid a tightening …
I Am Navalny’s Lawyer. I Won’t Let Fear Stop My Work
In this Moscow Times opinion piece, Russian lawyer Leonid Solovyov shares his personal account of defending Alexei Navalny amidst an increasingly repressive legal climate. Following the arrest of three of Navalny’s lawyers and the exile …
Open Letter to my Russian Friends: Ukraine is Not Crimea
On EJIL:Talk!, Alain Pellet reflects on his resignation as counsel for Russia before the International Court of Justice, prompted by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. While distinguishing the 2014 Crimea situation—where he believes the population …
Introducing ‘Department One’ – Exiled human rights lawyer Ivan Pavlov launches new legal group to take on Russia’s treason and espionage cases
In an article for Meduza, exiled Russian human rights lawyer Ivan Pavlov announces the launch of Pervy Otdel (“Department One”), a new legal initiative dedicated to defending individuals accused of treason, espionage, and other state …
“Ousted Chief Justice in Pakistan Urges Defiance,” David Rohde and Jane Perlez
Lawyers in Pakistan continued protesting, with ousted Supreme Court Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry urging them to defy de facto martial law imposed by President Gen. Pervez Musharraf. Chaudhry, under arrest, called for the restoration …