Crackdown on dissent

Trump Launches Probes into Officials Who Defied Him

President Trump ordered federal agencies to revoke the security clearances of and investigate former officials Christopher Krebs and Miles Taylor. Krebs, who publicly refuted Trump’s claims of election fraud, was labeled a “significant bad-faith actor” in a memorandum. Taylor, who anonymously criticized Trump’s conduct in a memoir, was accused of stoking dissension. These actions followed Krebs’s dismissal and Taylor’s outspoken criticism of the Trump administration. The move has drawn condemnation from Democrats as an attack on dissent and a step toward authoritarianism.

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Russia Jails Navalny’s Lawyers on Extremist Charges

A Russian court sentenced three lawyers—Vadim Kobzev, Alexei Liptser, and Igor Sergunin—to prison terms ranging from three and a half to five and a half years for allegedly aiding Alexei Navalny’s extremist activities. The lawyers, detained since October 2023, were convicted of facilitating the transmission of Navalny’s prison messages, enabling him to maintain a public presence even after his death. The ruling is viewed as part of Russia’s broader crackdown on dissent, with Navalny’s widow and international organizations condemning the sentences as politically motivated. All three lawyers received professional bans following their prison sentences.

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