Vladimir Kara-Murza
Vladimir Vladimirovich Kara-Murza is a Russian-British political activist, journalist, author, filmmaker, and political prisoner. A protégé of Boris Nemtsov, he is vice-chairman of Open Russia, an NGO founded by Russian businessman and former oligarch Mikhail Khodorkovsky, which promotes civil society and democracy in Russia. 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 acts as Senior Fellow to the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights. He was awarded the Civil Courage Prize in 2018.
Some of the key events about Vladimir Kara-Murza
- 2000Graduated with honors from Cambridge University with a degree in History
- 2003Began working as a journalist and political activist in Russia
- 2003Criticized the Russian government's handling of the Yukos affair, leading to tensions with authorities
- 2004Produced a documentary film about the 2002 Nord-Ost siege
- 2007Accused of spreading "anti-Russian propaganda" by pro-Kremlin youth groups
- 2012Became coordinator of the opposition movement "Free Russia"
- 2012Faced allegations of receiving foreign funding for political activities
- 2014Testified before the U.S. Helsinki Commission about human rights in Russia
- 2015Helped launch the Boris Nemtsov Foundation for Freedom
- 2015Hospitalized with symptoms of poisoning, suspecting an assassination attempt
- 2016Received the Magnitsky Human Rights Award
- 2017Hospitalized again with similar symptoms, reinforcing suspicions of targeted attacks
- 2018Nominated for the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought
- 2019Arrested during a memorial march for Boris Nemtsov in Moscow
- 2021Published a book titled "My Russia: The Political Prisoner's Handbook"
- 2021Detained at Moscow airport upon returning to Russia from abroad
- 2022Awarded the Civil Courage Prize by the Train Foundation
- 2022Arrested again in Moscow on charges of spreading "false information" about the Russian military
- 2022Charged with treason for criticizing Russian actions in Ukraine
- 2023Sentenced to 25 years in prison on charges of treason and spreading "false information"
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