Moscow, April 7, (dpa/GNA) - Russian prosecutors want to jail opposition politician and journalist Vladimir Kara-Mursa for 25 years for high treason, his defence said on Thursday after a closed hearing in Moscow.
The outspoken critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin and the war against Ukraine has lost 17 kilos during pre-trial detention, his lawyer Maria Eismont told reporters.
The 41-year-old’s health has significantly deteriorated after two suspicious poisonings earlier, according to Eismont.
Kara-Mursa was detained in April 2022 after returning to Russia from abroad amid a growing Kremlin crackdown on civil society.
Citing investigative circles, state media claimed he helped organizations from NATO countries undermine Russia’s national security in return for monthly payment of around €30,000 ($38,800).
He is also accused of discrediting the Russian army, which alone can carry a lengthy jail sentence. Overseas, the trial against him has been branded a sham.
According to the investigative group Bellingcat, Kara-Mursa was pursued by the same agents of Russia’s FSB domestic intelligence agency who were allegedly behind the poison attack on dissident Alexei Navalny, now jailed.
Last year, Kara-Mursa was awarded the Council of Europe’s prestigious Vaclav Havel Prize. It takes incredible courage to stand up to the authorities in today’s Russia, Parliamentary Assembly President Tiny Kox said in October.
The dissident’s wife accepted the human rights award on his behalf. She read out a statement from him saying that he dedicated the prize to all those who stood up against the Ukraine war in Russia.
Named after the former president of the Czech Republic, the Vaclav Havel Prize has been awarded since 2013 to honour commitment to human rights.
GNA