Lyubov Sobol
Lyubov Eduardovna Sobol (Russian: Любо́вь Эдуа́рдовна Со́боль, née Fedenyova, Феденёва; born 13 September 1987) is a Russian political and public figure, a lawyer of the Anti-Corruption Foundation, and a member of the Russian Opposition Coordination Council (2012–2013).[2] She produces the YouTube channel "Navalny Live" of Alexei Navalny.[4]
Lyubov Sobol | |
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Любовь Соболь | |
Personal details | |
Born | Lyubov Eduardovna Fedenyova 13 September 1987 Lobnya, Moscow Oblast, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union |
Nationality | Russian |
Political party | Russia of the Future |
Spouse(s) | Sergei Mokhov |
Residence | Moscow |
Alma mater | State Law Academy Moscow State University |
Occupation | Lawyer, activist, politician, lawyer at the Anti-Corruption Foundation |
Awards | BBC 100 Women (2019)[1] |
Biography
Born on 13 September 1987 in Lobnya, Moscow Oblast, Russian SFSR. In 2004, she graduated from the gymnasium class of a secondary school with a silver medal. In 2004, she entered the Institute of Jurisprudence of the State Law Academy in Moscow. In parallel with her studies, she worked in the Presnensky District Court of Moscow as secretary of the court session and as an assistant to the judge. In 2006, she entered the Law Faculty of the Moscow State University where she graduated in 2011 with excellency.
In 2011 and 2012, she took part in various forms of civil-political activities, in opposition rallies, volunteer movement in Astrakhan and assistance to Krymsk, she was an observer at various levels of elections. Since March 2011, she has been a lawyer of the RosPil Project created by Alexei Navalny in order to fight corruption in the area of budget spending.[5]
That same year, Forbes Russian language edition awarded Lyubov Sobol seventh place in their 2011 ranking of “faces few know”, recognising the year's most influential but still relatively unknown personalities.[6] On 22 October 2012, she was elected on the civil list to the Russian Opposition Coordination Council, receiving 25,270 votes on the civil list and taking the fifteenth place, ahead of such famous politicians as Boris Nemtsov and Sergey Udaltsov.
In March 2016, she announced her intention to run for election to the 7th convocation of the State Duma in the fall of 2016 from the majority district in the Central Administrative District of Moscow. On 24 May, she withdrew her candidacy.[7]
In May 2018, she became a member of the Central Council of Alexei Navalny's political party Russia of the Future.
In 2019, she again took part in the campaign for the election to the Moscow City Duma.[8] On September 2, she was detained by police after a protest on the weekend in Moscow.[9]
She was included in the Leadership category by the BBC on its 2019 list of 100 inspiring and influential women from around the world.[10]
On 21 December 2020, Sobol went to knock on the door of alleged FSB agent Konstantin Kudryavtsev (who had recently provided details about the poisoning of Alexei Navalny) but was detained by police for more than six hours. On 25 December 2020, Russian authorities raided Sobol's home, detained her, and opened a criminal investigation, alleging she had made an unlawful threat.[11][12] Sobol has denied the charges. If convicted, Sobol could face two to five years in prison.[13]
On 23 January 2021 during a protest in Moscow opposing the arrest of Navalny, video shows Sobol being grabbed and pulled away from an interview with reporters by multiple police officers.[14]
References
- "BBC 100 Women 2019: Who is on the list?". 16 October 2019. Retrieved 16 October 2019.
- Координационный совет избран // Interfax
- Зотова, Наталия (11 September 2020). "Без Навального: как ФБК работает без своего лидера" [Without Navalny: how the FBK works without its leader]. Би-би-си (in Russian). Retrieved 10 November 2020.
- Любовь Соболь о выборах, Никите Белых, ФБК и Кактусе
- "Главные герои 2011 года, которых мало кто знает в лицо. Любовь Соболь: юрист «РосПила» | Новости". Forbes.ru (in Russian). 22 December 2011.
- Оппозиция не поделила центр // Газета.Ru
- Юрист ФБК Любовь Соболь заявила о намерении участвовать в выборах в Мосгордуму
- "Police detain Russian opposition activist after Moscow protest". Reuters. 2 September 2019. Retrieved 3 September 2019.
- "BBC 100 Women 2019: Who is on the list?". BBC News. 16 October 2019. Retrieved 3 May 2020.
- "Navalny says Russian police have raided home of ally pursuing novichok plot". the Guardian. 25 December 2020. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
- Presse, AFP-Agence France. "Russia Opens Criminal Probe Into Navalny Ally Over 'Threat': Associate". www.barrons.com. Retrieved 25 December 2020.
- "Navalny Associate Sobol Says Criminal Charges Against Her Are Kremlin's 'Revenge'". RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
- "Alexei Navalny: 'More than 3,000 detained' in protests across Russia". 24 January 2021.
External links
- Official site
- Роспил — Любовь Соболь
- Lyubov Sobol on Twitter
- Lyubov Sobol: The woman driving Russia's opposition protests, BBC Reel, 20 November 2019
- Russian Protesters Threatened With Jail Sentences On Eve Of Planned Rally In Moscow
- RFE/RL coverage, including video of 25 Dec 2020 raid