The Moscow City Court sentenced journalist Vladimir Kara-Murza to 25 years in a strict regime colony, the correspondent of Mediazona reports from the courtroom.
He was found guilty under articles on "fakes" about the Russian army (paragraph "d" of Part 2 of Article 207.3 of the Criminal Code), on the activities of an "undesirable organization" (part 1 of Article 284.1 of the Criminal Code) and high treason (Article 275 of the Criminal Code). The prosecutor in the debate requested the same period for the politician.
The court appointed Kara-Murza 7 years in the case of "fakes", 3 years in the case of an "undesirable" organization and 18 years in the case of treason, Mediazona clarifies. The total term of the policy was appointed by partial addition of punishments. In addition, Kara-Murza was fined 400 thousand rubles, banned from journalism for 7 years after serving his sentence and imposed a restriction of freedom for 6 months after his release from the colony, RTVI clarifies.
In the last word, which was published by supporters of Kara-Murza, he, in particular, said: "In the last word, they usually ask for an acquittal. For a person who has not committed crimes, the only legal verdict would be acquittal. But I'm not asking this court for anything. I know my verdict. I knew him a year ago when I saw people in black uniforms and black masks running after my car in the mirror. This is the price for non-silence in Russia now." The meeting, like the rest of the case of the politician, was held in closed mode, so no one but the participants in the process could hear Kara-Murza's speech.
The criminal case of Kara-Murza was considered by judge Sergei Podoprigorov, who had previously been included in the Magnitsky sanctions list: it was Podoprigorov who decided to imprison the auditor Sergei Magnitsky in a pre-trial detention center, where he subsequently died. Kara-Murza lobbied for the adoption of the Magnitsky Act in the United States and other countries.
An article about military "fakes" by Kara-Murze was canceled in April 2022 due to a speech in the Arizona House of Representatives, during which he spoke out against the war in Ukraine. In particular, in his speech he said: "Today the whole world sees what Putin's regime is doing to Ukraine. He drops bombs on residential areas, on hospitals and schools."
The accusation of the activities of an "undesirable organization" is not related to the anti-war statements of the politician, this article was imputed to him in July 2022. The reason for the initiation of a criminal case was a conference in support of Russian political prisoners in October 2021, held at the Sakharov Center in Moscow.
According to investigators, Kara-Murza held the event with the money of the Free Russia Foundation, which the Russian authorities recognized as "undesirable". This is the first known case under the article about an "undesirable organization" that is not related to Open Russia.
The article about the "treason" policy was canceled in October 2022 — also because of public speeches in Lisbon, Oslo and Helsinki. In his speeches, Kara-Murza, among other things, criticized the Russian authorities, spoke about the illegitimacy of elections in the country and the need for Russian citizens to have access to the truth about the war in Ukraine. The lawyer of the "First Department" Valeria Vetoshkina noted that this is the first publicly known case for committing high treason in a form unrelated to the transfer of state secrets.
Kara-Murza was sent into custody on April 22, 2022, immediately after leaving the special detention center, where he was serving administrative arrest. On the same day, he was added to the register of "foreign agents". Since May 2022, he has been in the Vodnik Moscow pre-trial detention center.
For almost a year of stay in the isolation ward, the politician's health condition has deteriorated significantly: during his stay in the punishment cell, where he was placed in February, Karaz-Murza began to lose the sensitivity of his limbs. At the end of March, lawyer Vadim Prokhorov said that the defendant had both feet affected. The politician was diagnosed with polyneuropathy — Prokhorov stressed that this disorder is on the list of diseases that prevent serving a sentence.
The reason for the development of polyneuropathy, according to the lawyer, was that the politician was poisoned twice in 2015 and 2017. Being in custody had a negative impact on the course of the disease.
In December 2022, it became known that the investigator banned the politician from talking on the phone with his children. Their communication allegedly can "create a real threat" to the investigation of a criminal case.
Information about the terms of Vladimir Kara-Murza for each article of the Criminal Code and the details of the sentence has been added to the text of the news.
He was found guilty under articles on "fakes" about the Russian army (paragraph "d" of Part 2 of Article 207.3 of the Criminal Code), on the activities of an "undesirable organization" (part 1 of Article 284.1 of the Criminal Code) and high treason (Article 275 of the Criminal Code). The prosecutor in the debate requested the same period for the politician.
The court appointed Kara-Murza 7 years in the case of "fakes", 3 years in the case of an "undesirable" organization and 18 years in the case of treason, Mediazona clarifies. The total term of the policy was appointed by partial addition of punishments. In addition, Kara-Murza was fined 400 thousand rubles, banned from journalism for 7 years after serving his sentence and imposed a restriction of freedom for 6 months after his release from the colony, RTVI clarifies.
In the last word, which was published by supporters of Kara-Murza, he, in particular, said: "In the last word, they usually ask for an acquittal. For a person who has not committed crimes, the only legal verdict would be acquittal. But I'm not asking this court for anything. I know my verdict. I knew him a year ago when I saw people in black uniforms and black masks running after my car in the mirror. This is the price for non-silence in Russia now." The meeting, like the rest of the case of the politician, was held in closed mode, so no one but the participants in the process could hear Kara-Murza's speech.
The criminal case of Kara-Murza was considered by judge Sergei Podoprigorov, who had previously been included in the Magnitsky sanctions list: it was Podoprigorov who decided to imprison the auditor Sergei Magnitsky in a pre-trial detention center, where he subsequently died. Kara-Murza lobbied for the adoption of the Magnitsky Act in the United States and other countries.
An article about military "fakes" by Kara-Murze was canceled in April 2022 due to a speech in the Arizona House of Representatives, during which he spoke out against the war in Ukraine. In particular, in his speech he said: "Today the whole world sees what Putin's regime is doing to Ukraine. He drops bombs on residential areas, on hospitals and schools."
The accusation of the activities of an "undesirable organization" is not related to the anti-war statements of the politician, this article was imputed to him in July 2022. The reason for the initiation of a criminal case was a conference in support of Russian political prisoners in October 2021, held at the Sakharov Center in Moscow.
According to investigators, Kara-Murza held the event with the money of the Free Russia Foundation, which the Russian authorities recognized as "undesirable". This is the first known case under the article about an "undesirable organization" that is not related to Open Russia.
The article about the "treason" policy was canceled in October 2022 — also because of public speeches in Lisbon, Oslo and Helsinki. In his speeches, Kara-Murza, among other things, criticized the Russian authorities, spoke about the illegitimacy of elections in the country and the need for Russian citizens to have access to the truth about the war in Ukraine. The lawyer of the "First Department" Valeria Vetoshkina noted that this is the first publicly known case for committing high treason in a form unrelated to the transfer of state secrets.
Kara-Murza was sent into custody on April 22, 2022, immediately after leaving the special detention center, where he was serving administrative arrest. On the same day, he was added to the register of "foreign agents". Since May 2022, he has been in the Vodnik Moscow pre-trial detention center.
For almost a year of stay in the isolation ward, the politician's health condition has deteriorated significantly: during his stay in the punishment cell, where he was placed in February, Karaz-Murza began to lose the sensitivity of his limbs. At the end of March, lawyer Vadim Prokhorov said that the defendant had both feet affected. The politician was diagnosed with polyneuropathy — Prokhorov stressed that this disorder is on the list of diseases that prevent serving a sentence.
The reason for the development of polyneuropathy, according to the lawyer, was that the politician was poisoned twice in 2015 and 2017. Being in custody had a negative impact on the course of the disease.
In December 2022, it became known that the investigator banned the politician from talking on the phone with his children. Their communication allegedly can "create a real threat" to the investigation of a criminal case.
Information about the terms of Vladimir Kara-Murza for each article of the Criminal Code and the details of the sentence has been added to the text of the news.
Immediately after his arrest, Memorial recognized Kara-Murza as a political prisoner.
Since February 24, 2022 — the first day of the full—scale invasion of Ukraine - residents of Russian cities have been taking part in anti-war rallies every day and talking about the tragedy online. Anti-war speeches and statements become a reason for criminal prosecution. At the moment, more than 500 people have become involved in criminal cases initiated because of a protest against the war with Ukraine.
Since February 24, 2022 — the first day of the full—scale invasion of Ukraine - residents of Russian cities have been taking part in anti-war rallies every day and talking about the tragedy online. Anti-war speeches and statements become a reason for criminal prosecution. At the moment, more than 500 people have become involved in criminal cases initiated because of a protest against the war with Ukraine.