The Moscow City Court sentenced Russian opposition politician and journalist Vladimir Kara-Murza to 25 years in prison; he has been in a Moscow pre-trial detention center on charges of "treason" and spreading "fakes" since April 2022. SOTA reports.
The prosecution also requested 25 years in prison, lawyer Maria Eismont said.
The meeting was supposed to take place on March 20, but was cancelled. Before that, the leadership of the medical unit of SIZO No. 5 "Vodnik" refused to transfer Kara-Murza to the meeting due to his state of health.
Earlier, Kara-Murza could not be taken to the Moscow City Court building from the pre-trial detention center due to deteriorating health, he was diagnosed with polyneuropathy, which is a consequence of two severe poisonings in 2015 and 2017. Also, after his stay in the punishment cell, where he was placed due to the fact that he "was lying on the bunk after getting up," Kara-Murza began to have numbness of the limbs.
Kara-Murza has been in a Moscow pre-trial detention center on charges of spreading fake news since April 2022. During the arrest, the reason was the possibility of leaving the country and the presence of British citizenship. According to the ruling, the case was initiated because of Kara-Murza's speech in the Arizona House of Representatives on March 15, 2022. Later, Kara-Murza was charged with carrying out the activities of an undesirable organization, as on October 27, 2021, he held a conference in the Moscow Sakharov Center in support of Russian political prisoners with the money of the non-governmental organization (NGO) Free Russia Foundation.
EU High Representative Josep Borrell commented on the politician's case and spoke about human rights violations in Russia.
“Political activist Vladimir Kara-Murza is in prison. His health is deteriorating. He faces an unfair 25-year sentence on politically motivated charges. Russia must abolish repressive laws and release Kara-Murza and all other political prisoners.”