Convicted of “high treason.”
Britain’s foreign minister accuses Kremlin of poor treatment of jailed critic
Kremlin critic Vladimir Kara-Mursa
© Dmitry Serebryakov / DPA
Kremlin critic Vladimir Kara-Mursa has been in prison in Russia for two years. David Cameron speaks of “inhumane” prison conditions and makes allegations against Vladimir Putin.
Britain’s Foreign Secretary David Cameron has accused Russia of killing the Russian-British Kremlin critic who is imprisoned in Russia Vladimir Kara-Mursa has been subjected to “degrading and inhumane prison conditions” since his arrest two years ago. Cameron accused Russian authorities on Thursday of disregarding Kara-Mursa’s deteriorating health. The “degrading and inhumane prison conditions” were clearly aimed at “further damaging his physical and mental well-being.”
Kara-Mursa was sentenced to 25 years in prison in Russia in April 2023 for “high treason” after he accused Russia of “war crimes” in Ukraine during a speech in the United States. It is the longest known prison sentence ever imposed on a critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Vladimir Kara-Mursa was close to Navalny
Cameron rejected the allegations against Kara-Mursa and called on Moscow to immediately release him on humanitarian grounds. As a “committed human rights activist who advocates for a democratic Russia and an outspoken critic of the war in Ukraine, Mr. Kara-Mursa was viewed by the Kremlin as a threat,” Cameron said. Russian President Putin imprisoned him “to silence him.”
Kara-Mursa was close to Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, who died in custody in February. His family and lawyers say that Kara-Mursa suffers from the nerve disease polyneuropathy due to two poisoning attempts. Navalny’s death increased concern for the remaining Kremlin critics imprisoned in Russia.