Vladimir Kara-Murza facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Vladimir Kara-Murza
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| Владимир Кара-Мурза | |
Kara-Murza in 2024
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| Vice-Chairman of Open Russia | |
| Assumed office 12 November 2016 |
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| Deputy Leader of the People's Freedom Party | |
| In office 5 July 2015 – 17 December 2016 |
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| Leader | Mikhail Kasyanov |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 7 September 1981 Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union |
| Citizenship | Russia United Kingdom |
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| Spouse | Yevgenia |
| Children | 3 |
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| Alma mater | Trinity Hall, Cambridge (BA) |
| Awards | Václav Havel Human Rights Prize (2022) Pulitzer Prize (2024) |
Vladimir Vladimirovich Kara-Murza (Russian: Владимир Владимирович Кара-Мурза; born 7 September 1981) is a Russian-British political activist, journalist, author, and filmmaker. He is known for working to promote civil society and democracy in Russia. He was a leader in the People's Freedom Party and helped create two documentaries.
In April 2022, Kara-Murza was arrested in Russia. He was accused of "discrediting" the military and later faced charges of treason. Many groups, like Amnesty International, said these charges were politically motivated. In October 2022, he received the Václav Havel Human Rights Prize for his work.
In April 2023, he was sentenced to 25 years in prison. Even from prison, he continued to write columns. For these writings, he was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for commentary in 2024. On August 1, 2024, he was released from prison as part of a prisoner exchange deal.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Vladimir Vladimirovich Kara-Murza was born in Moscow, Russia, on September 7, 1981. His father, Vladimir Alexeyevich Kara-Murza, was a well-known Russian journalist and TV host. His father was known for speaking out against the government and supporting reforms.
Vladimir Kara-Murza studied history at Cambridge University in England. He earned both a bachelor's and a master's degree there. He is married to Yevgenia, and they have three children.
A Career in Journalism
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Kara-Murza started his career as a journalist when he was just 16 years old. He worked as a reporter in London for several Russian news outlets. These included Novye Izvestia, Kommersant, and the radio station Ekho Moskvy.
Later, he became a foreign affairs reporter for Kommersant. He also worked as a Washington correspondent for the BBC. From 2004 to 2012, he was the Washington bureau chief for the RTVi television network.
In 2005, Kara-Murza created a four-part TV documentary called They Chose Freedom. This film told the story of people who spoke out against the Soviet government. It included interviews with many Russian dissidents, who were people who disagreed with the government.
Working for Democracy
Kara-Murza has been involved in politics since he was young. He joined different political parties that supported democratic ideas. From 2000 to 2003, he was an advisor to Boris Nemtsov, a well-known opposition leader in Russia. Kara-Murza has been against the rule of Vladimir Putin since 2000.
In 2003, he ran for a seat in the Russian parliament, called the State Duma. He did not win the election.
In 2008, he helped start Solidarnost, a movement that brings together different groups working for democracy in Russia. He was elected to its federal council several times. In 2012, he took part in large protests in Moscow against Putin's government. These were some of the biggest pro-democracy protests in Russia since 1991.
In 2012, Kara-Murza was also elected to the federal council of the Republican Party of Russia – People's Freedom Party. This party was led by figures like Boris Nemtsov. He also became a member of the Coordinating Council of the Russian Opposition.
Kara-Murza is a coordinator for the Open Russia Foundation. This organization was started by Mikhail Khodorkovsky, a Russian businessman. Its main goal is to promote civil society and democracy in Russia.
As a journalist who spoke English well and spent time in the U.S., Kara-Murza played a role in the creation of the Magnitsky Act. This is a law passed by the U.S. Congress in 2012. It allows the U.S. government to punish people who commit human rights abuses.
Serious Health Challenges
Kara-Murza has faced serious health issues that many believe were linked to his activism.
2015 Illness
On May 26, 2015, Kara-Murza suddenly became very ill in Moscow. He was taken to the hospital. Doctors thought he might have been poisoned, and he was later diagnosed with kidney failure. His wife asked for him to be moved out of Russia for treatment. He eventually came out of a coma and started to recover. The exact cause of his illness remained a mystery, and there was no definite proof of poisoning. After he recovered, he said it was hard to believe it was an accident, but he couldn't be certain.
2017 Illness
On February 2, 2017, Kara-Murza was hospitalized again with the same symptoms he had in 2015. He was put into a special coma and needed life support. He was treated by the same medical team who had helped him before.
Arrest and Imprisonment
On April 11, 2022, Kara-Murza was arrested in Russia. He was first accused of not obeying police orders. Later, he faced more serious charges. On April 22, 2022, he was accused of spreading false information about the Russian military. This charge came after a speech he gave to the Arizona House of Representatives in the United States.
In July, new accusations were made against him for working with a foreign organization that Russia considered "undesirable." In October, his lawyers said he was also accused of treason, which is a very serious charge. Many human rights groups said these charges were politically motivated, meaning they were because of his political views, not because he committed a real crime.
In October 2022, Kara-Murza was given the Václav Havel Human Rights Prize by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. This award recognizes people who fight for human rights.
In April 2023, Russian prosecutors asked for a 25-year prison sentence for him, which is the longest possible. They also asked for him to be held in a "strict regime" prison, where conditions are very harsh. On April 17, 2023, he was found guilty of treason and "spreading disinformation" about the military. He was sentenced to 25 years in prison.
In January 2024, there were reports that Kara-Murza had disappeared from prison. The British foreign secretary, David Cameron, asked Russia to explain where he was. It was later found that Kara-Murza had been moved to a tougher prison facility, IK-7, and placed in solitary confinement.
Release as Part of a Prisoner Exchange
On August 1, 2024, Vladimir Kara-Murza was one of sixteen prisoners in Russia who were pardoned and released. This happened as part of a 2024 Russian prisoner exchange deal. Kara-Murza and the other released prisoners were flown to Turkey. There, they were exchanged for eight Russians who had been held in other countries.
See also
In Spanish: Vladímir Kará-Murzá para niños
