A Moscow court on Monday sentenced Russian opposition activist and journalist Vladimir Kara-Murza to 25 years in prison on various charges, including treason, international media reported.
After a trial behind closed doors, the court found Kara-Murza guilty of “high treason”, spreading “false information” about the Russian army and illegal work for an “undesirable organization”, according to an AFP journalist. news agency. .
The opponent has been sentenced to a cumulative sentence of 25 years in a penal colony, which entails stricter prison conditions.
One of his lawyers, Maria Eismont, quoted by Russian news agencies, announced that Kara-Murza will appeal the verdict, denouncing “serious violations of procedure” during the trial.
In his latest statement, last week, Kara-Murza said he remains proud to stand up to Russian President Vladimir Putin and his decision to send troops to Ukraine.
“I know the day will come when the darkness that covers our land will disappear”Kara-Murza stated in social and opposition media posts.
“And then our society will open its eyes and shudder when it realizes the terrible crimes committed in its name.”he claimed.
Vladimir Kara-Murza, a prominent opposition activist who twice survived a poisoning attributed to the Kremlin, has been in prison for a year.
The opponent denied the allegations, deeming them of a political nature, and compared the legal proceedings he faces with the trials during the reign of Soviet dictator Josef Stalin.
The allegations against Kara-Murza are also related to the March 15, 2022 speech he gave in the Arizona House of Representatives denouncing the Russian war in Ukraine.
Russian investigators added the charge of treason when the opponent was already in custody.
Shortly after deploying troops to Ukraine on February 24, 2022, Russia passed a law criminalizing the spread of “false information” about its military.
Authorities are using the law to quash criticism of what the Kremlin calls a “special military operation” in Ukraine.
Kara-Murza was close to Russian opposition leader Boris Nemtsov, who was assassinated outside the Kremlin in 2015.
The opponent survived poisonings in 2015 and 2017, which he blamed on the Kremlin. Russian authorities have denied any responsibility.
Another prominent opposition figure, Ilya Yashin, was sentenced to eight and a half years in prison late last year on charges of discrediting the Russian military.
Source: DN
