Reported by Kerry Howard Mwesigwa
A Moscow court has sentenced Russian opposition politician Vladimir Kara-Murza to 25 years in prison after finding him guilty of treason and denigrating the military. Kara-Murza, a vocal critic of President Vladimir Putin, faced charges stemming from critical speeches he delivered at international events in cities such as Helsinki, Lisbon, and Washington. His attorney, Vadim Prokhorov, stated that given his client’s health conditions, the sentence amounted to a death sentence.
The ruling has elicited widespread condemnation from the international community. The EU’s chief diplomat, Josep Borrell, described the verdict as “politically motivated.” The US State Department characterized Mr. Kara-Murza as yet another victim of the Russian government’s intensifying campaign of repression.
Kara-Murza was convicted of disseminating “false” information about the Russian military and associating with an “undesirable organization.” This is the most severe punishment of its kind since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and underscores the Russian government’s escalating repression of dissenting voices.
