The court confirmed the sentence pronounced in April against the opponent for “high treason” and “dissemination of false information”.
A Russian court on Monday rejected an appeal by opponent Vladimir Kara-Mourza, confirming his 25-year prison sentence for “treason”, a particularly harsh judgment in the midst of a crackdown on voices critical of the offensive in Ukraine.
“The decision of the Moscow City Court of April 17, 2023 remains unchanged,” reads the appeal judgment cited by Russian news agencies. The appeal hearing and trial were held behind closed doors.
“High treason”
The sentence handed down to Vladimir Kara-Murza, who was one of the last major Kremlin critics not to be behind bars or exiled abroad, is the heaviest imposed on an opponent in the country’s recent history. He is also in very poor health, according to his supporters, as a result of poisonings he has suffered in the past.
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The opponent was sentenced in April for “high treason”, broadcasting “false news about the Russian army and illegal work for an undesirable organization”. This condemnation of Vladimir Kara-Mourza had been denounced as being “politically motivated by the United States and as “scandalously harsh by the European Union. Vladimir Kara-Mourza said he was “proud of his political commitment in his last statements before his conviction.
The opponent almost died after being poisoned twice, in 2015 and 2017, during assassination attempts which he attributes to Russian power. His supporters are worried about his health. In recent years, almost all Russian opponents have been sentenced to heavy prison terms or had to flee the country.
The best known is anti-corruption activist Alexeï Navalny, who is already serving a nine-year prison sentence for “fraud”, is facing a new trial for “extremism in which he risks 20 years. Judgment in this case is due on August 4.
This article is originally published on news.dayfr.com
