It’s hard to keep running into judges with glassy eyes every time"

"It’s hard to keep running into judges with glassy eyes every time"

"The cases of Navalny’s lawyers and the case of Maria Bontsler have shown how vulnerable lawyers are to law enforcement agencies. But we keep working. The code of professional ethics does not allow us to refuse to do our duty."

That is a quote from one of the anonymous lawyers spoken to by Meduza. He remains in Russia and continues to defend political prisoners.

From June 8 to 14, as part of the annual "You Are Not Alone", Russian independent media outlets and NGOs are taking part in a week of support for political prisoners. At a time when pressure on human rights defenders is intensifying, it is especially important to help those who are trying not to leave political prisoners one-on-one with the system.

Meduza spoke with three lawyers who handle politically motivated cases to find out why they continue doing this work when acquittals are no longer handed down in Russia and defendants are only getting longer sentences.

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"There are no fewer lawyers willing to take on political cases"

From June 8 to 14, as part of the annual project "You Are Not Alone," Russian independent media and NGOs are taking part in a week of support for political prisoners. At a time when pressure on human rights defenders is intensifying, it is especially important to help those who are trying not to leave political prisoners…