Vladimir Kara-Murza

In this name that follows Eastern Slavic naming customs, the patronymic is Vladimirovich and the family name is Kara-Murza.

Vladimir Kara-Murza
Владимир Кара-Мурза
Kara-Murza in 2024
Vice-Chairman of Open Russia
Incumbent
Assumed office
12 November 2016
Deputy Leader of the People's Freedom Party
In office
5 July 2015 – 17 December 2016
LeaderMikhail Kasyanov
Personal details
Born (1981-09-07) 7 September 1981 (age 43)
Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
CitizenshipRussia
United Kingdom[1]
Political party
SpouseYevgenia
Children3
Parent
Alma materTrinity Hall, Cambridge (BA)
AwardsVáclav Havel Human Rights Prize (2022)
Pulitzer Prize (2024)

Vladimir Vladimirovich Kara-Murza (Russian: Владимир Владимирович Кара-Мурза, IPA: [kɐˌra mʊrˈza]; born 7 September 1981) is a Russian-British political activist, journalist, author, filmmaker, and former political prisoner. A protégé of murdered Russian dissident Boris Nemtsov, Kara-Murza is vice-chairman of Open Russia, an NGO founded by the exiled Russian businessman and former oligarch Mikhail Khodorkovsky, which promotes civil society and democracy in Russia.[2][3][4] He was elected to the Coordinating Council of the Russian Opposition in 2012, and served as deputy leader of the People's Freedom Party from 2015 to 2016. He has directed two documentaries, They Chose Freedom and Nemtsov. As of 2021, he serves as Senior Fellow to the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights.[5] He was awarded the Civil Courage Prize in 2018.[6]

In April 2022, after speaking out against the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Kara-Murza was arrested on charges of disobeying police orders. His arrest was extended after prosecutors introduced new charges of "discrediting" the military, and in October 2022 he was charged with treason.[7] Amnesty International and others called the charges politically motivated due to his anti-war views.[8][9][10] In October 2022, he was awarded the Václav Havel Human Rights Prize.[11]

In April 2023, Kara-Murza was sentenced to 25 years in prison, and was sent to a prison colony in Siberia.[12] In 2024, he was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for commentary for the columns which he continued to write from his prison cell for The Washington Post.[13] On 1 August 2024, Kara-Murza was released from prison as part of a prisoner exchange deal involving two dozen individuals from seven different countries.

  1. ^ "Press release: UK condemns sentencing of British-Russian Opposition Leader Vladimir Kara-Murza". Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. 17 April 2023. Archived from the original on 18 April 2023.
  2. ^ Luhn, Alec (27 May 2015). "Russian opposition activist Vladimir Kara-Murza in hospital after falling ill". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 10 February 2017. Retrieved 18 December 2016.
  3. ^ Porter, Tom (27 May 2015). "Russia: Anti-Kremlin activist Vladimir Kara-Murza in hospital after 'poisoning'". International Business Times. Archived from the original on 24 July 2015. Retrieved 28 July 2015.
  4. ^ Tétrault-Farber, Gabrielle (31 May 2015). "Opposition Activist Remains in Critical Condition". Moscow Times. Archived from the original on 19 June 2015. Retrieved 28 July 2015.
  5. ^ "Senior Fellows". Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights. 2021. Archived from the original on 12 May 2021. Retrieved 13 February 2021.
  6. ^ "2018 Civil Courage Prize Honoree". Civil Courage Prize. Archived from the original on 20 June 2019. Retrieved 20 June 2019.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference treason-charges was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ "Russia: Vladimir Kara-Murza, jailed prisoner of conscience, awarded Václav Havel Prize". Amnesty International. 10 October 2022. Retrieved 30 August 2024. Archived 13 April 2023 at the Wayback Machine
  9. ^ "'Proof that today's Russia is returning to the practices of Stalin's political terror'. Russia's journalists and human rights defenders demand that terror policy against Russian citizens be stopped and Vladimir Kara-Murza be released. An open letter". Novaya Gazeta Europe. 31 May 2005. Retrieved 30 August 2024. Archived 13 April 2023 at the Wayback Machine
  10. ^ "Arrest and Detention of Vladimir Kara-Murza". www.csce.gov. a letter from several members of the US Congress and Senate, 12 May 2022 Archived 13 April 2023 at the Wayback Machine
  11. ^ "2022 Václav Havel Prize awarded to imprisoned Russian opposition leader Vladimir Kara-Murza". Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. 10 October 2022. Archived from the original on 7 November 2022. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
  12. ^ Cite error: The named reference bbc-conviction was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  13. ^ "Vladimir Kara-Murza, contributor, The Washington Post". Pulitzer Prize. 4 May 2024.