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Vladimir Kara-Murza

As of August 1, 2024, Vladimir Kara-Murza is free and reunited with his family.

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Vladimir Kara-Murza, a Russian activist, politician, Washington Post columnist, and documentary filmmaker, is our Senior Advisor for human rights accountability. 
Kara-Murza was arrested in Russia in April 2022 for speaking out against the Russian government’s brutality in Ukraine and at home. He was convicted in a sham trial of “high treason” and sentenced in April 2023 to 25 years in prison.  Since he was first arrested in 2022, through his sham trial, and into his imprisonment, Human Rights First has campaigned for Kara-Murza’s safety, protection, and release.
On August 1, 2024, Vladimir Kara-Murza was released in a negotiated deal involving multiple governments that set free several political prisoners who had also arbitrarily been held in Russian government custody.
Following Kara-Murza’s release, he spoke at a press conference, stating, “I know that I will be back in my home country, and it’ll be sooner than you think.”

“There will be a dawn. The night, as you know, is darkest just before the light.”

- Vladimir Kara-Murza

Human Rights First Efforts

Since the beginning of Kara-Murza’s wrongful imprisonment in 2022, Human Rights First campaigned for his safety, protection, and release.

We worked to keep international focus on Kara-Murza’s situation, including speaking at public events, producing social media, communicating to the public in the United States and elsewhere, and advocating for his release to governments around the world. 

Our Response

Other Efforts in the United States

Human Rights First joined allied civil society organizations and congressional leaders to advocate for Kara-Murza’s safe release from arbitrary detention and raise international attention around Kara-Murza’s case.

At right, Vladimir Kara-Murza’s wife, Evgenia Kara-Murza, urges action on her husband’s behalf.

Civil Society & Government Response

Letter to Secretary Blinken from Virginia lawmakers – April 2024

Letter to President Biden from Rep. Steve Cohen, OSCE Special Representative on Political Prisoners – February 2024

Senate Foreign Relations Event to Call for Release of Vladimir Kara-Murza and Others Unjustly Imprisoned in Russia – U.S. Capitol event, April 8, 2024

Vladimir Kara-Murza: Putin’s Personal Prisoner – U.S. Helsinki Commission, Committee on Security and Cooperation in Europe hearing, September 2023

A Year of Injustice: The One-year Anniversary of Vladimir Kara-Murza’s Wrongful, Unlawful, and Arbitrary Detention – U.S. Capitol event, April 2023

International Sanctions Efforts

Kara-Murza played a key role in the U.S. Congress’ 2012 passage of the original Magnitsky legislation, which imposed targeted sanctions on Russian human rights violators.  He then urged other countries to pass similar targeted sanctions legislation.  

In both 2015 and 2017, he was poisoned and survived the resulting comas. These attempts on his life were widely viewed as the Russian government’s retribution for his work on Magnitsky sanctions. 

Since Kara-Murza’s imprisonment in 2022, governments around the world have imposed Magnitsky sanctions on his persecutors. View our sanctions tracker to learn more about who governments targeted with sanctions for their involvement in Kara-Murza’s case.

Treasury: Treasury Sanctions People Involved in Serious Human Rights Abuse Against Vladimir Kara-Murza (March 2023)

State: Designating Russian Nationals Involved in Serious Human Rights Abuses against Vladimir Kara-Murza – United States Department of State (March 2023)

UK sanctions FSB agents and Russian investigators behind arrest of British-Russian national Vladimir Kara-Murza (April 2023)

UK sanctions key figures involved in deplorable sentencing of dual British national Vladimir Kara-Murza after appeal is rejected (July 2023)

Human rights violations: EU lists 18 individuals and five entities responsible for gender-based violence and linked to the Navalny and Kara-Murza case (July 2023)

Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime: Council adds four persons and one entity to EU sanctions list (January 2024)

Regulations Amending the Special Economic Measures (Russia) Regulations: SOR/2022-238  (November 2022)

Canada announces sanctions against officials of justice and security sectors (August 2023)

Targeted sanctions in response to human rights violations in Russia | Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs (December 2023)

Vladimir Kara-Murza’s work

Beyond his work on Magnitsky sanctions and advising Human Rights First, Kara-Murza advocated for democracy and human rights in Russia, worked as a journalist and commentator, and directed documentary films, among other work.

Kara-Murza addresses the Arizona House of Representatives on democracy in Russia and Putin’s aggression toward Europe and the West. This is the speech that was the pretext for Kara-Murza’s arrest.  

Kara-Murza’s final interview before his arrest.  

60 Minutes profile of Kara-Murza

A previously unseen interview where Kara-Murza speaks on being poisoned and why people in the West shouldn’t take their freedom for granted.

Vladimir Kara-Murza moderated, led, or spoke at a number of events hosted by Human Rights First.

Kara-Murza spoke on a panel, moderated by Human Rights First, on corruption and human rights crises in Afghanistan, Russia, and Ukraine.  

Kara-Murza moderates discussion on international adoption of targeted sanctions with U.S. Senator Ben Cardin, Australian Senator Kimberley Kitching, Japanese Representative Shiori Yamao, and New Zealand MP Simon O’Connor.  

Kara-Murza moderates a panel with Bill Browder, Global Magnitsky Justice Campaign; Annie Boyajian, Freedom House; Kizito Byenkya, Open Society Foundations; and Irwin Cotler, Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights.

Vladimir Kara-Murza directed a range of documentaries about freedom and dissent in Russia.  

  • They Chose Freedom – 2005

Part 1– The Awakening

Part 2- Society against the State

Part 3 – Defeat and Victory

Part 4 – History Repeats Itself