Photo by REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov
“TrialWatch will monitor the trial of Russian human rights lawyer Ivan Pavlov,” the Clooney Foundation for Justice said today.
Mr. Pavlov, well-known for his defense of Aleksey Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation, has been charged with leaking information to the local press about a former journalist who he was also defending.
The authorities accuse him of sharing a copy of his client’s charging order and of disclosing the pseudonym of the prosecution’s secret witness. Mr. Pavlov was detained days after the prosecutor’s office announced they wanted to outlaw groups linked to Aleksey Navalny. As a condition of his release, he is not allowed to phone or email his children living abroad, including his 12-year-old daughter. Mr. Pavlov faces potential imprisonment and disbarment.
TrialWatch is working in partnership with the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI) on this case. IBAHRI Director Baroness Helena Kennedy QC has been designated as the TrialWatch Expert who will assess the fairness of the trial and assign it a grade in line with international and regional human rights standards. This is the eighth trial monitored in Russia as part of TrialWatch, including the slander trial of Aleksey Navalny as well as proceedings against human rights lawyer Mikhail Benyash.
CFJ and IBAHRI call on the Russian authorities to ensure that any prosecution of Mr. Pavlov is not an effort to suppress his human rights work and to respect Mr. Pavlov’s right to a fair trial.
Background
Ivan Pavlov is accused of leaking information to the local press about his client, Ivan Safronov, a former journalist charged with treason.
According to his colleagues, Mr. Pavlov was threatened by authorities before his arrest due to his work on behalf of Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation, raising fears that these new charges are politically motivated. In an open letter of support of Mr. Pavlov, other Russian lawyers expressed that they had no doubt that his detention was related to his professional activities.
Over the past decade, Russia has enacted a significant number of laws and regulations to repress freedom of expression and peaceful assembly with the apparent justification of targeting “extremism.” Mr. Pavlov is well-known for his defense of high-profile clients who have been charged under such laws. He is also the founder of Team 29, an organization of lawyers and journalists advocating for access to information for Russians.
See full PDF statement in Russian (русский)