Moscow Jail Forces Lawyers to Strip at Checkpoint, Denying Access to Clients

At Moscow’s pretrial detention center No. 4, known as “Medved,” guards have begun demanding defense attorneys strip at the checkpoint before they can see their clients. According to defense lawyer Anastasia Georgievskaya, the search occurs in front of everyone, not in a separate room. A woman guard told Georgievskaya to remove her bra because it was setting off the detector, while a male colleague was forced to unzip his fly and lower his pants. Some attorneys refused the procedure; those who did were barred from meeting the detainees. The practice, carried out without a private search area, raises serious concerns about the integrity of legal representation and the protection of defendants’ rights. The incident highlights a direct interference with the defense’s ability to counsel clients, potentially compromising the fairness of pretrial proceedings and violating established legal norms.