A journalist and vocal critic of the Kremlin is now the subject of a criminal investigation for spreading information about Russia’s war in Ukraine, which the government claims is fake.
Vladimir Kara-Murza, a Russian columnist for the Washington Post, faces up to 15 years in prison if he’s found guilty, depending on the specific charges. He was arrested earlier this month and is serving a 15-day detention period for allegedly evading the police.
“Vladimir Kara-Murza, who has repeatedly risked his safety to cover Vladimir Putin’s heinous violations of human rights, has now been charged with the sham ‘offense’ of distributing ‘deliberately false information’ about Russia’s military,” Fred Ryan, the Post’s publisher, said in a statement. “For bravely and honestly calling out Putin’s atrocities in Ukraine, Kara-Murza now faces a sentence of up to 15 years in prison.”
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“Americans should be infuriated by Putin’s escalating campaign to silence Kara-Murza, who is a green-card holder and resident of Northern Virginia, where his family lives,” he added. “And everyone who values press freedom and human rights should be enraged by this injustice and join in demanding Kara-Murza’s immediate release.”
The columnist has also accused the Russian government of attempting to poison him twice before his arrest this year. He was a longtime friend of Boris Nemtsov, who was assassinated in 2015.
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law last month that mandates lengthy prison terms for distributing “deliberately false information” about the country’s military operations, according to Radio Free Europe.
Kara-Murza’s detainment, like the law, demonstrates the Kremlin’s attempts to reshape the messaging and information as it pertains to the war. Russia has shut down independent outlets in addition to accusing Western media of lying.
Russia is also detaining three Americans: Trevor Reed, Paul Whelan, and Brittney Griner.
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A Russian court remanded Reed’s case to a lower court for review earlier this month. The former Marine was arrested nearly three years ago on charges he denies, while U.S. Ambassador John Sullivan said after the proceedings that “justice has again been denied.”
Whelan was arrested in 2020 on accusations that he was a spy, and Griner was arrested earlier this year after being accused of possessing vape cartridges containing hash oil, an illegal substance in Russia.
