ALBAWABA - Three attorneys who previously represented the late opposition leader Alexei Navalny were placed on trial for "extremism" on Thursday by a Russian court.
In an Arctic prison colony, Navalny was serving a 19-year term for running an "extremist" organization when he mysteriously passed away in February.
Following his passing, Russian authorities have intensified their assault against the family, associates, and supporters of the Kremlin critic, detaining journalists who reported on his court proceedings and putting his widow, Yulia Navalnaya, on a blacklist of "terrorists and extremists".
The three defendants were held in a metal cage at the start of the hearing before the judge approved the prosecution's request to relocate the session behind closed doors, ejecting public onlookers and media from the hall.
The trio was arrested in October 2023 and charged with engaging in an "extremist" group, with a potential sentence of six years.
Investigators say they passed messages between Navalny and his associates in the outside world, helping the Kremlin critic continue his outlawed political activity from behind bars.
