Free Vladimir Kara-Murza! Stop Russia’s descent into Stalinism! An open letter from journalists and media professionals
The prosecution is asking the court for a 25-year prison term for the Russian opposition politician Vladimir Kara-Murza, who is currently in pretrial detention and facing multiple grave but unfounded charges.
We believe that Vladimir Kara-Murza, an outspoken critic of the Russian aggression that’s causing endless devastation and suffering in Ukraine, is a true patriot who stood up to a senseless war that also consumes the lives of Russian citizens in the military. But to speak out for peace and for ending this war is a crime in today’s Russia.
Apart from this first lawless and disgraceful charge of military “disinformation,” Kara-Murza is also being charged with high treason. The prosecution sees treason in his contributions to international forums, where he condemned the war and the persecution of dissidents in Putin’s Russia. Kara-Murza’s words and political opinions are being treated as offenses comparable to aggravated murder.
Vladimir Kara-Murza is now in pretrial custody, awaiting a draconian sentence, which would be effectively a life sentence, for speaking out against war. Having survived two poisoning attempts within a short timespan, he has medical conditions that compel even prison physicians to sound an alarm: his confirmed polyneuropathy threatens him with lower-body paralysis. Still, the judge finds it possible to keep him in custody, where he cannot get proper treatment for his condition. Moreover, his diagnosis is among the illnesses that preclude serving a prison sentence.
We consider the charges against Vladimir Kara-Murza to be politically motivated. The treason charge against him is particularly cynical. It is thanks to Kara-Murza that the political leaders in the West have realized that the Russian state’s aggressive policies are the responsibility of specific individuals, as opposed to the whole country and all of its people.
The charges against Vladimir Kara-Murza and the sentence that the prosecution now seeks for him mark Russia’s return to the practices of Stalinist terror against dissenters. In the past century, this has cost Russia hundreds of thousands of human lives. What began as a series of show trials of the political opposition and dissidents ultimately led to mass executions and imprisonment of ordinary people, including those who had welcomed these repressive practices.
We urge the Russian government, members of Russia’s judiciary, and law enforcement professionals to return to the path of justice, and to stop prosecuting people of integrity who dare to think and to speak the truth.
Stop Russia’s descent into Stalinism and totalitarianism! Free Vladimir Kara-Murza!
Roman Anin, iStories
Svetlana Anokhina, journalist
Ilya Ber, Provereno
Andrey Borzenko, Libo/Libo
Irina Borogan, Agentura.ru
Irina Vershinina, Redkollegiya
Elena Vicens, journalist
Evgenia Volunkova, journalist
Alexander Gavrilov, literary critic
Maxim Glikin, journalist
Andrey Goryanov, journalist
Mikhail Danilovich, journalist, Novaya Vkladka
Sarkis Darbinian, RoskomSvoboda
Tikhon Dzyadko, TV Rain
Dmitry Durnev, journalist
Andrey Zatirko, journalist
Andrey Zakharov, journalist
Boris Zimin, Zimin Foundation
Maria Zonina, Redkollegiya
Mikhail Zygar, writer
Tatiana Ivanova, Bumaga
Mikhail Kaluzhsky, Redkollegiya
Denis Kamalyagin, Pskov Gubernia
Pavel Kanygin, To Be Continued
Maria Karpenko, journalist
Maksim Katz, politician
Mikhail Klimarev, Internet Protection Society
Dmitry Kolezev, Republic
Ivan Kolpakov, Meduza
Ekaterina Kotrikadze, TV Rain
Ilya Krasilshchik, HelpDesk.Media
Fyodor Krasheninnikov, political analyst
Maksim Kurnikov, Echo
Veronika Kutsillo, Polygon Media
Alexandra Livergant, Zimin Foundation
Maria Lipkovich, InTransit
Sergey Lukashevsky, Sakharov Center
Maria Makeeva, OstWest
Ivan Makridin, Novaya Vkladka
Alesya Marokhovskaya, iStories
Kirill Martynov, Novaya Gazeta Europe
Ekaterina Martynova, Doxa
Vasily Matenov, Asians of Russia
Peter Mironenko, The Bell
Olga Mutovina, People of Baikal
Viktor Muchnik, Eyewitnesses, Govorit NeMoskva
Zhanna Nemtsova, Nemtsov Foundation
Elizaveta Osetinskaya, The Bell
Arkady Ostrovsky, journalist
Ivan Pavlov, attorney
Sergey Parkhomenko, journalist
Anna Piotrovskaya, Zimin Foundation
Alexander Plyushchev, journalist
Kirill Rogov, Re:Russia
Rita Reutman, journalist
Olga Romanova, journalist
Ivan Rublyov, It’s My City
Peter Ruzavin, journalist
Irina Samokhina, Govorit NeMoskva
Yury Safronov, journalist
Alexey Sidorenko, Teplitsa
Sabīne Sīle, Media Hub Riga
Egor Skovoroda, Mediazona
Sergey Smirnov, Mediazona
Zhenya Snezhkina, journalist
Lyubov Sobol, politician
Andrey Soldatov, Agentura.ru
Maxim Solyus, editor
Lola Tagaeva, Verstka
Yulia Taratuta, journalist
Galina Timchenko, Meduza
Elena Trifonova, People of Baikal
Maxim Trudolyubov, journalist
Tatiana Felgengauer, journalist
Mikhail Fishman, journalist
Alexander Cherkasov, Memorial
Viktor Chistyakov, Taiga.info
Olga Shorina, Nemtsov Foundation
Ilya Shumanov, Transparency International Russia
Alexander Gorokhov, journalist
Daria Litvishko and Anton Rubin, hosts, RZVRT, YouTube
Denis Dmitriev, journalist
Bogdan Litvin and Timofey Martynenko, Viasna
Mikhail Kotov, former editor-in-chief, Gazeta.ru, Forbes Ukraine
Sergey Tashevsky, Radio Free Europe
Konstantin Kotov, human rights advocate, OVD-Info
Yury Gladysh, independent journalist, political analyst
Daniil Kislov, journalist
Oleg Kashin, journalist
Alexey Obukhov, Sota
Anastasia Kashkina, Sota
Daria Poryadina, Sota
Anna Sokolova, Sota
Anna Loiko, Sota
Pyotr Ivanov, Sota
Lev Ponomaryov, human rights advocate
Nikolai Fonakov, journalist
Natalia Sevets-Yermolina, journalist
Alexei Pronin, insurance broker, Dubai
Jacob Hesin, Leipzig
This list is being updated. If you’re a media professional, you can sign this letter by writing to meduza@meduza.io with your name and affiliation (along with a way for us to confirm your identity).