Prominent Putin critic sentenced to 25 years in prison
![Jailed Russian dissident Vladimir Kara-Murza.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/MFvm9aMWfeq2bGLJeeSWLj-415-80.jpg)
A Russian court on Monday sentenced one of the Kremlin's most prominent critics, Vladimir Kara-Murza, to 25 years in prison, after what was widely seen as a show trial. This marks the longest prison sentence ever handed down against an opponent of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Kara-Murza, 41, was charged with treason and spreading false information after he repeatedly criticized Russia's war in Ukraine. He has maintained his innocence from the start, and denied any wrongdoing.
In a statement prior to his sentencing, printed in The Washington Post, Kara-Murza said, "I do not repent any of this, I am proud of it." He added, "I know that the day will come when the darkness engulfing our country will clear. Our society will open its eyes and shudder when it realizes what crimes were committed in its name."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
![https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516-320-80.jpg)
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
He is slated to serve his sentence in a "strict regime correctional colony" and will be fined $4,900.
Kara-Murza, a dual British-Russian citizen, works as a pro-democracy journalist and is also a contributing writer for the Post. Prior to his arrest in April 2022, he survived poisonings in 2015 and 2017 that he attributed to the Kremlin.
The sentence was decried by Western nations. The U.S. State Department released a statement calling Kara-Murza "yet another target of the Russian government's escalating campaign of repression" and urged for him to be released. The U.K. Foreign and Commonwealth Office said it "considers Kara-Murza's conviction to be contrary to Russia's international obligations on human rights, including the right to a fair trial."
Putin is known for having his critics imprisoned, and is suspected of having gone much further — Insider compiled a list of 13 dissidents who are thought to have been assassinated by Putin's regime.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Justin Klawans has worked as a staff writer at The Week since 2022. He began his career covering local news before joining Newsweek as a breaking news reporter, where he wrote about politics, national and global affairs, business, crime, sports, film, television and other Hollywood news. Justin has also freelanced for outlets including Collider and United Press International.
-
Today's political cartoons - September 7, 2024
Cartoons Saturday's cartoons - football widows, meddling kids, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Smoking ban: the return of the nanny state?
Talking Point Starmer's plan to revive Sunak-era war on tobacco has struck an unsettling chord even with some non-smokers
By The Week UK Published
-
Crossword: September 7, 2024
The Week's daily crossword puzzle
By The Week Staff Published
-
Atesh: the Ukrainian partisans taking on Russia
Under The Radar Underground resistance fighters are risking their lives to defend their country
By Elizabeth Carr-Ellis, The Week UK Published
-
'Second only to a nuclear bomb' – the controversial arms Russia is using in Ukraine
The Explainer Thermobaric bombs 'capable of vaporising human bodies' have been used against Ukraine
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
The peaceful archipelago that may take up arms
Under The Radar Russia's invasion of Ukraine has left the Åland Islands 'peculiarly vulnerable'
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
What can Ukraine gain from Russia incursion?
Today's Big Question Gamble to boost morale, improve negotiating position and show the West it can still win is 'paying off – for now'
By Elliott Goat, The Week UK Published
-
Who would fight Europe's war against Russia?
Today's Big Question Western armies are struggling to recruit and retain soldiers amid fears Moscow's war in Ukraine may spread across Europe
By Abby Wilson Published
-
How Russia trains its deep undercover spies
The Explainer Moscow's elite 'illegal' sleeper agents pose as foreigners and live under false identities known as 'legends', often for decades
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Are Ukraine's F-16 fighter jets too little too late?
Today's Big Question US-made aircraft are 'significant improvement' on Soviet-era weaponry but long delay and lack of trained pilots could undo advantage against Russia
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Ukraine's stolen children
Under the Radar Officially 20,000 children have been detained since Russia's invasion in 2022, but the true number is likely to be far higher
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published