This day, however, they were not working on behalf of a client—the lawyers themselves were on trial .

Three lawyers stood in front of a judge in a small courtroom in Petushk, Russia, on Jan. 17. They had spent years in similar courtrooms defending their client Alexei Navalny, the Russian opposition leader who died in a Siberian penal colony less than one year prior.

Three lawyers stood in front of a judge in a small courtroom in Petushk, Russia, on Jan. 17. They had spent years in similar courtrooms defending their client Alexei Navalny, the Russian opposition leader who died in a Siberian penal colony less than one year prior.

This day, however, they were not working on behalf of a client—the lawyers themselves were on trial.

Held behind a large metal cage, as is common in Russian courts, Vadim Kobzev, Alexei Liptser, and Igor Sergunin were accused of “participating in an extremist organization” for delivering messages from Navalny to the outside world.

Each of these men was sentenced to multiple years in prison—five and a half for Kobzev, five for Liptser, and three and a half for Sergunin. Their sentencing set a new precedent, where lawyers can be accused of working for extremist organizations and potentially imprisoned for their work.

Foreign Policy spoke on the condition of anonymity with several human rights lawyers who have worked in Russia, using pseudonyms due to fears of state retribution. As the Kremlin intensifies its efforts to silence political opposition, these lawyers worry that the line between them and the people they represent is beginning to blur.

Alexander, a lawyer in Moscow, has worked on human rights cases for