Russian opposition politician Kara-Murza was sentenced to 25 years

A Moscow court has sentenced Russian opposition politician Vladimir Kara-Murza to 25 years in prison, granting the prosecutor's request, the independent outlet Mediazona reported on Monday. Kara-Murzawas convicted of spreading “disinformation” about the Russian army, collaborating with an “undesirable” organization, and high treason. After his trial in Moscow, the Russian opposition politician Vladimir Kara-Murza addressed the court, declining to express “remorse for his misdeeds” or to plead with the judges for mercy. Vladimir Kara-Murza has been in politics for over twenty years, but he’s more famous abroad than in Russia. When in April 2022 a criminal case was brought against Kara-Murza under a wartime law against “fake news” about the Russian military, Amnesty International and HumanRights Watch immediately declared him a prisoner of conscience and demanded his release. Speaking to Meduza, journalist Mikhail Fishman called Kara-Murza“political prisoner number two in Russia” — second only to imprisoned opposition leader Alexey Navalny. The history of his political career was described and translated by Meduza here https://meduza.io/en/feature/2022/07/13/a-dissident-from-a-book ‍ Vadim Prokhorov, the defense attorney who represented the Russian politician Vladimir Kara-Murza during the trial that concluded on April 17, has left Russia, amidst threats of being disbarred and prosecuted. Original articles: 1) https://meduza.io/en/news/2023/04/17/russian-opposition-politician-vladimir-kara-murza-sentenced-to-25-years-in-prison 2) https://meduza.io/en/feature/2023/04/10/our-society-will-open-its-eyes-and-stand-in-horror 3) https://meduza.io/en/news/2023/04/19/vladimir-kara-murza-s-defense-lawyer-vadim-prokhorov-leaves-russia-threatened-with-prosecution