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Mikhail Benyash

In September 9, a lawyer from Sochi, Mikhail Benyash, was detained on the street in Krasnodar by policemen wearing no uniforms and markings and then dragged into an unmarked car. Soon he was charged for assault on officers. He was arrested, and a criminal case proceeded against him. Benyash is a defence counsel in political trials. He came to Krasnodar to provide legal assistance. On 9 September, a general protest against the retirement age raise took place in Russia. In Krasnodar, the police detained the participants before they could even gather. The Benyash case terrified the community of Russian lawyers. A dozen or so of them decided to defend him at court. The court battle ended with the first success of the defence counsels - after 25 days of detention, Benyash was released after posting bail. More info: https://content.outride.rs/en/the-benyashs-case-state-vs-defense-attorneys/