Key takeaways:
- Vladimir Kara-Murza, a Russian human rights advocate and opposition activist, was sentenced to 25 years in prison on charges of treason and denigrating the Russian military.
- The sentence has been met with international condemnation, with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and the European Union expressing their “deep concern” over the ruling.
- Kara-Murza has rejected the charges against him as political and likened the judicial proceedings against him to the show trials during the rule of Soviet dictator Josef Stalin.
A Moscow court on Monday sentenced a prominent Kremlin critic to 25 years in prison on charges of treason and denigrating the Russian military.
Vladimir Kara-Murza, a Russian human rights advocate and opposition activist, was arrested one year ago, hours after an interview with CNN in which he criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “regime of murderers.”
The court found him guilty of criminal offenses including treason, spreading fake news about the Russian army, and facilitating activities of an undesirable organization. He was sentenced to serve his sentence “in a strict regime correctional colony.”
Kara-Murza has rejected the charges against him as political and likened the judicial proceedings against him to the show trials during the rule of Soviet dictator Josef Stalin. His detention has been decried by human rights groups, who have called it a politically motivated move to silence dissent.
The sentence has been met with international condemnation, with a number of prominent figures speaking out against the ruling. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the US was “deeply troubled” by the verdict and called for Kara-Murza’s immediate release. The European Union also expressed its “deep concern” over the ruling.
Be First to Comment