The lawyers in Russia representing political prisoners despite the risks 

A few weeks ago, 19-year-old Daria Kozyreva appeared in a St. Petersburg court for her sentencing.

Kozyreva was charged with discrediting the Russian army after she glued a verse from a poem written in 1845 by Ukraine’s national poet, Taras Shevchenko, onto his monument in St. Petersburg.

During Kozyreva’s court appearance, she delivered an impassioned speech.

“Ukraine is a sovereign country, it will decide itself what path to take, and it will decide itself who to consider a brother and friend, and who an enemy,” Kozyreva said before she was sentenced to a nearly three-year prison term.

In the years since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, political repression inside Russia has increased considerably. Russia now has hundreds of political prisoners who are tried under new laws that are meant to suppress any form of dissent — especially against the war. Despite relentless pressure, there are still lawyers in Russia fighting for the rights of political prisoners.

Tanya Lokshina, an associate director at Human Rights Watch, studies cases of political repression in Europe and Central Asia.

“Hundreds of people have been prosecuted over their anti-war stance, and sentences became much harsher after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Repressions in Russia are raging.”

Lokshina said that now, there’s a new fear — that the Kremlin is starting to target lawyers who represent political prisoners in court.

The fear follows the infamous case of Alexei Navalny, the leader of the Russian opposition and a staunch opponent of Vladimir Putin who died in a Russian prison last year.

In January, three of Navalny’s lawyers were each sentenced to 3 1/2 to 5 years in prison.

“It sends a very chilling signal to any other lawyer in Russia who actually dares take on politically motivated cases.”

According to the court’s decision, Navalny’s lawyers were part of an extremist organization.

Sergei Davidis is the co-chair of the Memorial Human Rights Defense Centre, which documents cases of human rights violations in Russia.

Davidis is based in Lithuania but he’s frequently in touch with human rights defenders and lawyers who are still working in Russia.

“There are some colleagues who still work in the country, but for sure, the lawyers should be cautious when they spread information. They should either do it secretly, or even, not do it at all. They should limit themselves in speaking out. They should not condemn the war publicly and so on.”

Davidis said that defense attorneys in Russia have almost no impact on the outcome of their clients’ cases. The sentences, especially in politically motivated cases, are usually predetermined.

However, Davidis said, lawyers have another important role when they represent political prisoners.

“The main role of the lawyer now is moral, psychological — to provide the victim, the inmate with the feeling that he is not alone, to provide him with some communication with the outside world, even with his family,” Davidis said.

Olga Podoplelova is a human rights lawyer working in Russia and often represents political prisoners.

“The Russian prison system nowadays is the prolongation of the Soviet Gulag system. It’s the same walls with a different name.”

Podoplelova said that many of the worst practices used against Soviet political prisoners are still used against political prisoners today.

“The administration often manipulates prisoners. They can deprive them of family visits and phone calls; they can deprive them of packages, food parcels for example; they can deny medical care; they can also put people in solitary confinement.”

Podoplelova said that human rights lawyers understand the risks that come with doing their jobs, especially after the imprisonment of Navalny’s lawyers.

“The legal profession is still the way to be able to express your beliefs in a safe way. We do not agree with what’s happening, so being a lawyer at this time is  good work to do.”

Podoplelova said that few spaces in Russia allow people to express dissent. So, she said, despite the risk, speaking out in court as a defense attorney is safer than speaking out in the streets.

Marina Agaltsova is another attorney in Russia who’s also represented political prisoners. For her, the arrest of Navalny’s lawyers felt like a turning point: “It became more scary to defend them. I guess they installed fear among lawyers.”

She said that as a result, she has drastically changed how she communicates publicly. She doesn’t write about her work on social media and is a lot more cautious about what she says outside or around strangers.

Agaltsova said she’s trying to keep a low profile in Russia so that she can continue doing her work.

“Everybody has to use the superpower that was given to this person by nature, and I believe that my superpower is trying to find justice or balance,” she said, adding, “With my knowledge and with my experience, I can make somebody’s life better.”

Agaltsova said that the mere presence of lawyers could prevent human rights abuses and the mistreatment of prisoners. Despite the repressive political environment in Russia, she feels her work is impactful.

As the war continues in Ukraine, she said, she still holds out hope that the legal system can provide a peaceful form of conflict resolution in Russia.