He was one of the last Kremlin critics not behind bars or exiled abroad.
A new opponent of Vladimir Putin behind bars. A Moscow court on Monday (April 17) sentenced Vladimir Kara-Mourza, 41, to 25 years in prison. Close to prominent opponent Boris Nemtsov assassinated in 2015, he was one of the last Kremlin critics not to be imprisoned or exiled abroad. Vladimir Kara-Murza was found guilty of “high treason”dissemination of “fake news” about the Russian army and illegal work for an organization “undesirable”.
Victim of two poisoning attempts
One of his lawyers announced that the opponent was going to appeal, denouncing “gross violations of procedure”. During his last declarations on April 10, Vladimir Kara-Mourza said to himself “proud” of his political commitment.
“I also know that a day will come when the darkness that covers our country will dissipate when those who instigated and started this war are called criminals.”
Vladimir Kara-Mourza, Russian opponentquoted by AFP
In pre-trial detention since April 2022, Valentin Kara-Mourza almost died after being, according to him, poisoned twice, in 2015 and 2017, assassination attempts which he attributes to Russian power. According to another of his other lawyers, the opponent suffers from polyneuropathy and neuromuscular pathology, a consequence of the two poisonings.
Several voices are raised to demand his release
In the wake of this conviction, the head of British diplomacy, James Cleverly, asked his “immediate release” and Berlin denounced “with the greatest firmness” this condemnation. Similar request from the London side, which denounces “politically motivated condemnation” of Kara-Mourza to 25 years in prison, claiming his “immediate release”. The British government will also summon the Russian ambassador.
For the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, “No one should be deprived of their liberty for exercising their human rights, and I call on the Russian authorities to release him without delay. While he is detained, he must be treated humanely”he claimed Monday in a press release.