Kara-Murza about the verdict of the Moscow City Court: "So, I did everything right"

On April 17, the Moscow City Court sentenced the opposition policy Vladimir Kara-Murzu, who was accused of state treason, of the spread of fakes about the Russian army and in cooperation with an undesirable organization, to 25 years in a maximum security colony.

Commenting on the verdict, the opposition said: “25 years are the highest score that I could get for what I did, what I believe in as a citizen, as a patriot, as a politician. So I did everything right,” his lawyer Maria Eismont said the words of Kara-Murza.

The process in relation to Kara-Murza Jr. began in the Moscow City Court in March and took place closed, since the materials of the criminal case were classified.

Only state agencies were allowed into the hall to announce the verdict, all other journalists (about 50 people) were sent to the broadcast room, Mediazone reported . When the accused was introduced into the courtroom, the sound was turned off in the premises for broadcasts.

On April 6, the state prosecution requested 25 years in prison for Kara-Murza. This is more than the maximum term under the article on the Stateizer (20 years), this became possible thanks to the prosecution of a politician of other crimes.

Judge Judge Sergey Podopigorov judged, which is included in the "List of Magnitsky" in the USA. Vladimir Kara-Murza actively lobbied for the adoption of the Magnitsky List. Participation in its preparation is part of the prosecution against the opposition.

On April 10, Kara-Murza made the last word. He declared his innocence and said that he was proud of what he was doing. In the speech, which was completely published on the opposition Twitter, he called the legal situation in Russia similar to the 1930s of the twentieth century. Kara-Murza noted that he signed under every word of the prosecution, who considered the state of speech about the situation in Russia in Western countries, but is proud of his actions.

He blames himself only that over the years of his activity he could not convince fellow citizens how dangerous the Kremlin regime is. The politician expressed the hope that sooner or later Russian society will change. He emphasized that he continues to believe in the country and its people.

At the exit from the building of the Moscow City Court, the US Ambassador to Russia Lynn Tracy said that the “criminal persecution of the critics of the regime is a symbol of weakness, not forces,” and emphasized that the United States would continue to urge the Russian authorities to free Kara-Murza.

According to the British Ambassador in Moscow, Deborah Bronins, this is a sentence "for a bold performance against Russia's invasion of Ukraine." In addition to Russian, Vladimir Kara-Murza also has a British passport.

• Vladimir Kara-Murza has been in jail since April 2022. In early March, the court extended the arrest for another six months. Three criminal cases have been instituted against the politician: about state treason, on fakes and on the implementation of the activities of an unwanted organization for working with "open Russia".
• According to the defense of Kara-Murza, during his stay in the pre-trial detention center, he lost 17 kilograms of weight. In mid-March, the politician could not take part in one of the court sessions due to a deterioration in well-being. Before that, he reported that his health in the isolation worsen was significantly worsened.

• Independent journalists and human rights activists demanded to stop the criminal prosecution of Vladimir Kara-Murza and immediately free him from the pre-trial detention center. More than 70 people signed the petition: journalists, human rights activists, political scientists, activists, writers and opposition politicians.