Vladimir Kara-Murza, a critic of the current Russian regime, who faces 25 years in prison for treason (Kara-Murza denies the charges against him), said in a Moscow court on Monday that his trial is reminiscent of the show trials of the Stalin era in the 1930s.
Kara-Murza, 41, a father of three and a former journalist with Russian and British nationality, opposed Russian President Vladimir Putin for many years and pressed foreign governments and organizations to impose sanctions on the Russian Federation. Russia and a number of Russian citizens for human reasons. rights violations.
On Thursday, Russian prosecutors demanded Kara-Murza be sentenced to 25 years in prison, charging him with high treason and discrediting the Russian military.
His trial, which will end with sentencing on April 17, is being held behind closed doors, but a copy of his closing speech in court on Monday has been provided by his wife and lawyer.
In it, Kara-Murza did not ask the court to acquit him, stressing that he stood his ground and was proud of everything he said.
“My trial in 2023 left behind the ‘trials’ of Soviet dissidents in the 1960s and 1970s,” Kara-Murza said in a statement. “Not to mention the requested timeline and vocabulary about ‘the enemy’: it’s not even the 1970s – it’s the 1930s.”
“For me, as a historian, it is a subject of reflection”, he underlined. “Criminals must repent of their deeds. I am in prison for my political opinions. For speaking out against the war in Ukraine. For many years of war with Putin’s dictatorship.
“I also know that the day will come when the darkness over our country will lift,” Kara-Murza said.
Earlier Monday, dozens of Russian journalists and human rights activists, many of whom have fled the country, called on authorities to release Kara-Murza, saying the charges against him were baseless and politically motivated.
In an open letter published on Monday, they called on Russian authorities, law enforcement and judges to return to the path of justice and “try murderers and criminals, not honest and responsible citizens who dared think and tell the truth”.
“Stop Russia’s new slide towards Stalinism and the totalitarian system,” is the appeal contained in the letter.
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