‘Did Not Push Hard Enough’: Navalny Lawyer Speaks of Regrets

The apical lawyer of precocious Russian absorption person Alexei Navalny, who died successful a Russian situation successful February past year, told AFP she regretted not uncovering the close words to halt him returning to Moscow successful 2021.

Olga Mikhailova, who defended Navalny for 16 years, said his instrumentality to Russia sparked a "tragic" concatenation of events starring to his decease — and to the jailing past week of 3 of his ineligible squad connected extremism charges.

Feb. 16 volition people the archetypal day of the charismatic politician's decease successful an Arctic penal colony, which his supporters respect arsenic execution sanctioned by the Kremlin.

"Today I precise overmuch regret that I didn't bash everything possible, everything successful my powerfulness to forestall him from returning to Moscow," Mikhailova said successful an interrogation successful Paris. "I consciousness similar I did not propulsion hard enough."

Navalny hardly survived a poisoning successful 2020 with the Soviet-designed nervus cause Novichok. Following attraction successful Germany, helium returned to Russia connected Jan. 17, 2021, and was instantly arrested and subsequently jailed.

He died successful a distant Arctic situation connected Feb. 16, 2024, successful unclear circumstances. His allies and household accidental helium was murdered connected President Vladimir Putin's orders. Navalny himself predicted successful his memoir helium would beryllium poisoned successful jail.

"This determination to return on January 17 has had irreparable, tragic consequences," Mikhailova said. "For him, for his lawyers, for their families, for everyone."

Last Friday, a Russian tribunal recovered 3 members of Navalny's defence squad blameworthy of participating successful an "extremist organization." Vadim Kobzev was sentenced to 5 and a fractional years, Alexei Liptser was handed 5 years and Igor Sergunin 3 and a fractional years.

Even the information that the 3 lawyers were sentenced connected Jan. 17 — the time 4 years agone Navalny had chosen to instrumentality to Russia — was not a coincidence, Mikhailova said.

"He was specified a information to them, they hated him truthful overmuch that they proceed to instrumentality revenge against his lawyers," she added.

Mikhailova was connected vacation overseas erstwhile the 3 lawyers were arrested successful 2023. She decided against returning to Russia wherever a tribunal subsequently ordered her apprehension successful absentia.

Wiretaps

She said the imprisonment of her colleagues was the toughest stroke to ineligible advocacy successful Russia since dictator Josef Stalin, noting that for the archetypal clip successful modern Russia lawyers faced accusations "along with their client."

"A batch of lawyers were purged successful 1937. And afterwards determination were nary much cases similar that successful the Soviet era," she said.

She said authorities had wiretapped confidential conversations betwixt Navalny and his lawyers successful prison, aboriginal utilizing those recordings against the defence team.

"Not lone were they wiretapping, arsenic I understand, determination was a idiosyncratic down the partition who was penning everything down," she said.

Attorney-client privilege nary longer existed successful Russia, Mikhailova added.

The lawyer besides said the West made a "very large governmental mistake" by excluding Russia from the Council of Europe aft Putin invaded Ukraine, meaning Russians could nary longer instrumentality cases to the Strasbourg-based European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).

Prison conditions for Navalny worsened aft that, she said.

"The authorities did what they wanted. They realized that they could enactment with implicit impunity. Before, they had been held accountable," the lawyer added.

"Had Russia continued to stay successful the Council of Europe and the European Court, possibly the calamity would not person happened to Alexei oregon to his lawyers."

'Was not to be'

Mikhailova, 51, received asylum successful France and is adjusting to her caller beingness successful Paris.

"All this clip I've been talking myself into reasoning that I americium successful a bully city, a beauteous city, 1 of the astir beauteous cities," she said.

"It conscionable wasn't my choice, right? I conscionable recovered myself successful this concern and erstwhile it's not your choice, it's precise hard indeed."

She is studying French each day.

"Alexei ever told maine 'learn overseas languages, larn overseas languages'," she said. "And truthful present I person to larn overseas languages."

Navalny's decease had crushed her, but she admitted "it has go a small spot easier to respire now."

She has not nevertheless mustered capable courageousness to work "Patriot," Navalny's posthumous memoir published past October.

"I started speechmaking respective times, and I knew immoderate of the texts. I would virtually commencement speechmaking the archetypal page, and I would cognize erstwhile it was written and how. And I would adjacent the book, I conscionable couldn't bash it," she said.

"When you work it, well, it's unbearably hard," she said, adding she had already work a fewer pages.

Despite everything Mikhailova does not regret taking connected Navalny arsenic a client.

"For galore years I was adjacent to this perfectly astonishing man," she said. "I've ever loved my occupation precise much. And a consciousness of work ever trumps each fears."

In situation Navalny work a batch and changed a lot, Mikhailova said.

"He had toughened up truthful much, had grown up truthful overmuch successful each consciousness that I thought helium would marque an unthinkable person for our country," she said.

"But this was not to be."