As we await the verdicts and sentences for three members of the late Alexei Navalny’s legal team — now scheduled to be announced by the Russian court on January 17th — I have added them to the list of those political hostages of Vladimir Putin who do not deserve to be in prison in the first place.

They are (L-R, above): Igor Sergunin, Aleksei Liptser and Vadim Kobzev. Tried on politically-motivated charges of “extremism,” the only act of which they are guilty is having represented their client to the best of their ability.

In Putin’s view, however, their real crime was being associated with a man who dared to oppose him. And that, in today’s Russia, overrides any consideration of legality or morality.

So, once more, here is our list of those awaiting release from various Russian prisons and penal colonies:

David Barnes
Gordon Black
Marc Fogle
Robert Gilman
Stephen James Hubbard
Ksenia Karelina
Vadim Kobzev
Andrey Kuznechyk (in Belarus)
Michael Travis Leake
Aleksei Liptser
Ihar Losik (in Belarus)
Daniel Martindale
Farid Mehralizada (in Azerbaijan)
Igor Sergunin
Robert Shonov
Eugene Spector
Laurent Vinatier
Robert Romanov Woodland
Vladislav Yesypenko (in Crimea)

And yet again, I wish them all continued courage, hope, and a speedy return home in this new year.

Godspeed.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
1/12/25