PRESS RELEASE : UK statement on birthday of Russian opposition politician [September 2023]

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 7 September 2023.

The UK has issued a statement on Russian opposition politician Vladimir Kara-Murza’s 42nd birthday, his second spent in a Russian prison.

Today (7 September) marks Russian opposition politician, journalist, and human rights activist Vladimir Kara-Murza’s 42nd birthday, the second he will spend in a Russian prison on politically-motivated charges.

Mr Kara-Murza was convicted of spreading “knowingly false information” about the Russian armed forces; involvement with an “undesirable” organisation; and treason, and in April was sentenced to 25 years in prison in Russia.

An FCDO spokesman said:

Vladimir Kara-Murza should not be in prison at all – he is only there for having rightly called out Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as a contravention of international law.

We reiterate our call for Mr Kara-Murza’s immediate and unconditional release, and for Russia to adhere to its international human rights obligations. We commend the continued efforts of his wife, Evgenia Kara-Murza, to advocate for her husband and all those who have spoken out against Russia’s invasion.

Vladimir Kara-Murza has received wide recognition for his work, including the Vaclav Havel Human Rights Prize.

His persecution is part of a wider pattern of oppression of Russian citizens by the Kremlin. Since the invasion thousands of Russians have been arrested and prosecuted for even small gestures of opposition to the war. There have been over 600 prosecutions for similar ‘anti-war’ activity to the allegations against Mr Kara-Murza since February 2022.

Background

• British Embassy officials have attended Mr Kara-Murza’s court hearings in Moscow throughout the year. FCDO officials have consistently raised Mr Kara-Murza’s case with the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Russian Embassy, and will continue to do so.
• After he was sentenced, the UK government summoned the Russian Ambassador, and has also sanctioned nine individuals involved in his case.