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 Kara-Murza (born September 7, 1981) is a Russian-British activist, journalist, and author. He is known for supporting democracy and human rights in Russia. He worked closely with Boris Nemtsov, a Russian leader who was sadly killed. Kara-Murza is a vice-chairman of Open Russia, a group that works to build a strong civil society in Russia.
In April 2022, Kara-Murza was arrested after speaking out against the Russian invasion of Ukraine. He faced serious charges, including "discrediting" the military and even charges of acting against the government. Many groups, like Amnesty International, said these charges were unfair and politically motivated because of his views against the war. In October 2022, he received the Václav Havel Human Rights Prize for his work.
In April 2023, Kara-Murza was sentenced to 25 years in prison and sent to a prison in Siberia. While in prison, he continued to write articles for The Washington Post, and in 2024, he won a Pulitzer Prize for his writing. On August 1, 2024, he was released from prison as part of a prisoner exchange deal.
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Early Life and Education
Vladimir Kara-Murza was born in Moscow. His father, Vladimir Kara-Murza Sr., was a well-known journalist who supported reforms in Russia. Vladimir Kara-Murza is also related to the Kara-Murza family, who have roots in Tatar history.
He studied history at Trinity Hall, Cambridge, and speaks fluent English. He is married to Yevgenia and they have three children.
Career Highlights
Journalism and Writing
Kara-Murza started his career as a journalist at 16. He worked as a correspondent in London and Washington, D.C., for various Russian and international news outlets like Kommersant and the BBC. He also edited a financial publication.
In 2011, he published his first book, Reform or Revolution: The Quest for Responsible Government in the First Russian State Duma. This book explores the early attempts to create a responsible government in Russia's first parliament in 1906.
Documentary Filmmaking
Kara-Murza has also made documentaries. In 2005, he produced They Chose Freedom, a four-part TV series about the history of the Soviet dissident movement. This film features interviews with people who spoke out against the Soviet government.
He also directed Nemtsov, a film about his mentor, Boris Nemtsov.
Involvement in Russian Politics
Kara-Murza has been active in Russian politics since 1999, often opposing the government of Vladimir Putin. He was a candidate for the Russian parliament in 2003. During that election, he faced many challenges, including attempts to remove him from the ballot and issues with his campaign materials.
He helped create the Committee 2008, a group of opposition leaders. He also supported Vladimir Bukovsky, a human rights activist, as a candidate for president in 2008.
In 2012, Kara-Murza was elected to the Coordinating Council of the Russian Opposition. This council was formed during large protests in Moscow against Putin's rule.
Working with Open Russia
Kara-Murza is a coordinator for the Open Russia Foundation, which was started by Mikhail Khodorkovsky. This organization aims to promote civil society and democracy in Russia. Kara-Murza leads the "Open Elections" project, which works to make elections in Russia more fair. He often speaks internationally to encourage cooperation among nations.
Supporting Human Rights (Magnitsky Act)
Kara-Murza played an important role in the creation of the Magnitsky Act in the United States. This law, passed in 2012, aims to punish Russian officials involved in human rights abuses by preventing them from getting U.S. visas and freezing their assets. The law is named after Sergei Magnitsky, a tax advisor who died in Russian custody after uncovering a large tax fraud scheme.
Kara-Murza believed this law was important because it would affect corrupt officials where it mattered most: their money and ability to travel to Western countries. He testified before the U.S. Congress, explaining why the law was needed to hold people accountable for human rights violations in Russia. He also encouraged other countries, like Canada and those in the European Union, to pass similar laws.
Health Scares
Kara-Murza has experienced two serious health scares. On May 26, 2015, he suddenly became very ill in Moscow. Doctors initially thought he had heart problems, but he was later diagnosed with kidney failure. His family and friends were very worried, especially because other critics of the Russian government had also faced mysterious illnesses. He recovered after being treated in a hospital.
On February 2, 2017, he was hospitalized again with similar symptoms. He was put into a medically-induced coma and needed life support. Doctors diagnosed him with a "toxic influence of an unknown substance." He recovered and went abroad for rehabilitation. Investigations into the cause of these illnesses have been inconclusive, but some reports suggest he was followed by a Russian security unit before he fell ill.
Speaking Out and Imprisonment
In April 2022, during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Kara-Murza was arrested. He had called the Russian government "a regime of murderers." He was charged with spreading "false information" about the Russian military, based on a speech he gave in the Arizona House of Representatives.
Later, he faced additional charges, including cooperating with an "undesirable" foreign organization and even charges of acting against the government. In April 2023, he was sentenced to 25 years in prison. This was one of the longest sentences given to an opposition figure in Russia in recent history. Kara-Murza compared his trial to the unfair trials of the Stalin era.
He was sent to a maximum-security prison in Siberia. In January 2024, he was moved to a harsher facility for supposed rule breaches.
Release from Prison
On August 1, 2024, Vladimir Kara-Murza was released from prison as part of a prisoner exchange deal. He was one of sixteen prisoners from Russia who were pardoned. They were flown to Turkey and exchanged for eight Russians who had been imprisoned in Western countries. Many people, including the UK foreign secretary, welcomed his release, noting that he had been imprisoned for bravely speaking the truth about the war in Ukraine.
Post-Release Activities
After his release, Kara-Murza continued to speak out. On September 3, 2024, he signed an open letter urging Mongolia to arrest Russian President Vladimir Putin if he visited, because of an international arrest warrant related to alleged war crimes.
Images for kids
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Kara-Murza makes the sign of the cross at the place of assassination of Boris Nemtsov in Moscow on 27 February 2021.
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Kara-Murza in 2018
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Kara-Murza and Boris Nemtsov's daughter Zhanna Nemtsova on 20 June 2018
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Presentation of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe report in the Hofburg in 2020
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See also
In Spanish: Vladímir Kará-Murzá para niños
