The European Union imposed sanctions against nine Russians involved in the persecution of politician Kara-Murza

The European Union imposed sanctions against nine Russians, accusing them of violating human rights in the case of politician Vladimir Kara-Murza. Information about this was published in the official journal of the EU.

“The Council of the EU introduced prohibitive measures as part of the sanctions regime for human rights violations against nine individuals for sentencing democratic activist Vladimir Kara-Murza to 25 years in prison,” the document says. Due to the imposed sanctions, these Russians will lose the right to enter the European Union, and if their assets are discovered in the EU, they will be frozen.

The list included Deputy Minister of Justice Oleg Sviridenko, “expert” Danila Mikheev, Investigative Committee employees Andrei Zadachin and Denis Kolesnikov, Moscow judges Diana Mishchenko, Elena Lenskaya, Ilya Kozlov and Sergei Podoprigorov, as well as the head of the capital’s pre-trial detention center-5 Dmitry Komnov. All persons against whom sanctions have been imposed, according to the European Union, are involved in the persecution of Kara-Murza.

Thus, Sviridenko oversees the departments responsible for “foreign agents” - according to the European Union, he is responsible for recognizing Kara-Murza as a “foreign agent”. “Specialist” Mikheev conducts examinations in many political cases - in particular, in the case of treason against a politician (note that the Ministry of Justice previously recognized his incompetence). Four judges are involved in the “politically motivated prosecution” of Kara-Murza, as are investigators from the Investigative Committee who were subject to sanctions. Komnov is in charge of the pre-trial detention center where the oppositionist is being held.

In April, the British Foreign Office imposed sanctions against investigators and a judge involved in the sentencing of Vladimir Kara-Murza, as well as against two FSB officers who prosecuted the politician in 2015 and 2017.

On April 17, the Moscow City Court sentenced Kara-Murza to 25 years in a maximum security colony on charges of military “fakes,” participation in the activities of an “undesirable” organization, and high treason.

Immediately after this, Latvia banned the entry of ten Russian citizens involved in the politician’s case. At the same time, the ambassadors of the United States, Great Britain and Canada called for the release of Kara-Murza. The next day, the Russian Foreign Ministry summoned them “in connection with gross interference in the internal affairs of Russia and activities that do not correspond to their diplomatic status.”