Foreign diplomats condemn prison sentence of top Kremlin critic Vladimir Kara-Murza

EU Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell reacted to the prison sentencing of Putin critic, Vladimir Kara-Murza and called the whole ordeal outrageous. On Monday, a Russian court sentenced Kara-Murza, an ardent critic of the Russian President, to 25 years in prison. The Russian activist received a prison sentence for treason and other offences. According to Sky News, Borrell reacted to the sentencing and called it “outrageous “ and “politically motivated”. The Europan diplomat also called on Russia to immediately release not only Murza but other such critics. The claim by the European diplomat came days after the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk also condemned the prison sentencing of the Russian critic. 

"Today's outrageously harsh court decision clearly demonstrates yet again the political misuse of the judiciary in order to pressure activists, human rights defenders and any voices opposing Russia's illegitimate war of aggression against Ukraine,"  Borell said Monday, as per a report by Sky News. The Moscow court sentenced Murza to a penal colony for spreading “fake news” about the Russian army and for cooperating with “undesirable organisation.” Apart from this, a bulk of Murza’s sentencing was over treason charges.

According to Politico, it was in April 2022, when Murza arrived in Russia, he was detained by the Russian police for “disobeying police orders.” The charges against the Putin critic have been mounting since then.

UN official condemns the arrest

The sentencing of Murza was also criticised by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk. “The 25-year prison sentence handed down today by a Moscow court against opposition politician and journalist Vladimir Kara-Murza is another blow to the rule of law and civic space in the Russian Federation,” Turk asserted in a statement on Monday. “No one should be deprived of their liberty for exercising their human rights, and I call on the Russian authorities to release him without delay. As long as he continues to be detained, he must be treated with humanity and respect for his dignity,” he added. According to Politico, neither journalists nor high-ranking diplomats were allowed into the courtroom during the trial of Putin’s critic.