STATEMENT BY CHAIRS OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS COMMITTEES
CALLING FOR THE IMMEDIATE RELEASE OF VLADIMIR KARA-MURZA
27 April 2022
We, the Chairs of our respective national parliaments’ Foreign Affairs Committees, call on the
Russian authorities to immediately release Vladimir Kara-Murza. He has been detained and is now
charged under draconian laws that ban criticism of Russia’s brutal war against Ukraine.
On 11 April 2022, Russian activist, journalist and politician Vladimir Kara-Murza was arrested
outside of his Moscow home following an interview on CNN where he criticized Russia’s invasion of
Ukraine. The following day, he was sentenced to 15 days in prison for disobeying police orders.
On 22 April 2022, a Russian court charged Vladimir Kara-Murza under Russia’s new law that bans
the spreading of “false” information about the Russian military, and he could now face up to 15 years
in prison. These latest charges against Vladimir Kara-Murza are a blatant fabrication meant to distract
attention from Putin’s war crimes and deter other courageous Russians from speaking out against the
Kremlin.
In 2015 and 2017, Vladimir Kara-Murza survived two near-fatal poisonings, traced by investigative
journalists to Russian authorities. Consequently, we are deeply concerned about Vladimir Kara-
Murza’s safety.
Since Russia invaded Ukraine, over 15,000 Russians have been detained for criticizing or opposing the
war, or peacefully demonstrating against it. In addition, hundreds of Russians have been charged
under the same Orwellian law that Vladimir Kara-Murza is accused of contravening. Putin and his
regime have shown themselves to be willing to break any law, domestic or international, to suppress
political opposition at home and subjugate neighbouring countries. We call on all democratic nations
and allies to oppose criminal behaviour like this to protect human rights in Russia and worldwide.
Together with the free world, we stand in solidarity both with Ukraine and with Russian civil society
in these difficult times.
We condemn the Putin regime’s brutal repression of free speech and independent media in Russia and
demand the immediate release of Vladimir Kara-Murza and all the prisoners of conscience whom the
Russian government has detained.
Marko Mihkelson
Riigikogu
Estonia
Michael Roth
Bundestag
Germany
Tom Tugendhat
House of Commons
United Kingdom
Rihards Kols
Saeima
Latvia
Marek �½eníšek
Chamber of Deputies
Czech Republic
Marek Kuchciński
Sejm
Poland
Laima Andrikienė
Seimas
Lithuania
Pavel Fischer
Senate
Czech Republic
Bogdan Klich
Senate
Poland