- Russia sentences top Kremlin critic Vladimir Kara-Murza to 25 years in prison
- The individual previously survived two poisoning attempts and now faces the lengthiest sentence given to an opponent of Russian President Vladimir Putin
- Kara-Murza faces charges of spreading false information about the Russian military
Vladimir Kara-Murza, one of the top critics of the Kremlin and Russian President Vladimir Putin, has been sentenced to 25 years in jail after surviving two poisoning attempts.
The Russian individual's prison sentence was handed down about treason charges for criticizing Moscow's invasion of Ukraine in what many people saw as a show trial. The verdict, which is the lengthiest given to a dissident of Putin, highlights the continued crackdown on the Russian Federation since the beginning of the war.
Top Kremlin Critic Sentenced to 25 Years in Jail
The arrested individual is known to be a long-time pro-democracy activist whose family currently lives in the United States. He was a contributing opinion writer for The Washington Post. As per ABC News, kara-Murza, a holder of dual British and Russian citizenship, was arrested in April 2022 and faced charges of spreading false information about the Russian military in Ukraine.
The charges were based on statements that Kara-Murza made where he accused the Russian military of committing war crimes in Ukraine. Russian officials later charged the activist with treason over public speeches criticizing President Putin and his invasion of Kyiv. They also charged him with belonging to an "undesirable organization."
Now, almost all prominent Russian opposition figures are either imprisoned or have been placed in exile amid the continued crackdown on dissidents. Furthermore, the unprecedented length of Kara-Murza's jail sentence sparked fear among liberal Russians and drew comparisons to trials during the era of Joseph Stalin.
A Continued Crackdown of Dissidents
The head of the Russian human rights organization Memorial, Yan Rachinsky, said that the sentence given to Kara-Murza was comparable to the times of Stalin. They added that it was even more horrific because it was given in response to a man's words. They argued that this only showed that the Russian Federation was afraid of words and was working to shut dissidents up.
The 45-year-old's last words in court last week were made to support his previous stance on the Russian military's war crimes. On Monday, observers watched Kara-Murza in a cage wearing blue jeans, a black T-shirt, and a gray blazer while handcuffed before he was seen smiling and gesturing to supporters, according to Inquirer.
He noted that he meant every word he said for which he was incarcerated and did not repent for any of them. He added that he was proud of the words he uttered in opposition to the Russian military's actions.
The activist's wife, Evgenia Kara-Murza, praised her husband's courage following the sentencing. She gave him a "5+" for his courage, consistency, and honesty, whereas the grade was comparable to an "A+" in other educational systems.
On Monday, Kara-Murza's lawyer, Vadim Prokhorov, said that his client plans to appeal the sentence in the near future, said CNN.
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