Apr 13: Vladimir Kara-Murza: This is the price of speaking up in Russia today

As published in The Washington Post on April 10, 2023 with interviews on CNN

Vladimir Kara-Murza: This is the price of speaking up in Russia today

As published in The Washington Post on April 10, 2023 with interviews on CNN

Vladimir Kara-Murza delivered these remarks on Monday at the closing session of his trial on treason charges.

MOSCOW CITY COURT — Members of the court: I was sure, after two decades spent in Russian politics, after all that I have seen and experienced, that nothing can surprise me anymore. I must admit that I was wrong. I’ve been surprised by the extent to which my trial, in its secrecy and its contempt for legal norms, has surpassed even the “trials” of Soviet dissidents in the 1960s and ’70s. And that’s not even to mention the harshness of the sentence requested by the prosecution or the talk of “enemies of the state.” In this respect, we’ve gone beyond the 1970s — all the way back to the 1930s. For me, as a historian, this is an occasion for reflection.

At one point during my testimony, the presiding judge reminded me that one of the extenuating circumstances was “remorse for what [the accused] has done.” And although there is little that’s amusing about my present situation, I could not help smiling: The criminal, of course, must repent of his deeds. I’m in jail for my political views. For speaking out against the war in Ukraine. For many years of struggle against Vladimir Putin’s dictatorship. For facilitating the adoption of personal international sanctions under the Magnitsky Act against human rights violators.

Not only do I not repent of any of this, I am proud of it. I am proud that Boris Nemtsov brought me into politics. And I hope that he is not ashamed of me. I subscribe to every word that I have spoken and every word of which I have been accused by this court. I blame myself for only one thing: that over the years of my political activity I have not managed to convince enough of my compatriots and enough politicians in the democratic countries of the danger that the current regime in the Kremlin poses for Russia and for the world. Today this is obvious to everyone, but at a terrible price — the price of war.

In their last statements to the court, defendants usually ask for an acquittal. For a person who has not committed any crimes, acquittal would be the only fair verdict. But I do not ask this court for anything. I know the verdict. I knew it a year ago when I saw people in black uniforms and black masks running after my car in the rearview mirror. Such is the price for speaking up in Russia today.

But I also know that the day will come when the darkness over our country will dissipate. When black will be called black and white will be called white; when at the official level it will be recognized that two times two is still four; when a war will be called a war, and a usurper a usurper; and when those who kindled and unleashed this war, rather than those who tried to stop it, will be recognized as criminals.

This day will come as inevitably as spring follows even the coldest winter. And then our society will open its eyes and be horrified by what terrible crimes were committed on its behalf. From this realization, from this reflection, the long, difficult but vital path toward the recovery and restoration of Russia, its return to the community of civilized countries, will begin.

Even today, even in the darkness surrounding us, even sitting in this cage, I love my country and believe in our people. I believe that we can walk this path.

Who is Vladimir Kara-Murza?

Vladimir Kara-Murza, a Global Opinions contributor to The Post, is a Russian politician, author and historian. He holds Russian and British passports and settled his family in the United States. He has been an outspoken critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

What happened to him?

In April, nearly two months after Putin invaded Ukraine, uniformed police officers surrounded Kara-Murza’s car and took him to a Moscow police station.

Why was he arrested?

Initially detained on a spurious charge of disobeying the police, Kara-Murza was indicted 11 days later under a law passed in the wake of the invasion. A Russian court charged him with spreading what it considers “false” information. He maintains his innocence. A conviction could bring 10 years in prison.

What did he say about the war in Ukraine?

Earlier that month, Kara-Murza called the government “a regime of murderers” in an interview. He had also accused Russia of war crimes in a speech to the Arizona House of Representatives. He was locked up for telling the truth, The Post’s Editorial Board wrote.

What has he written since his arrest?

Kara-Murza continues to write for The Post via letters from jail, writing “the only reason for my arrest was my political and, above all, antiwar position.” He said hundreds of people who protested the war in Ukraine were imprisoned. Still, he stayed resolute: “Russia will be free,” he wrote. “I’ve never been so sure of it as I am today.”

Is this the first time he has been targeted?

No. Kara-Murza has been poisoned twice: in 2015 and 2017. He has been followed by Russian officers. His friends and associates have been attacked, jailed and killed. Kara-Murza has described his imprisonment as a kind of badge of honor worn by Russian oppositionists before him.