Leading Russian human rights and anticorruption activists were in Ottawa on Monday, October 17 to advocate on behalf of Vladimir Kara-Murza, who was detained by Russian police in early April for his criticism of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In addition to being charged with criticizing Putin’s war, Kara-Murza has now been charged with treason and faces 22 years in prison.
Vladimir Kara-Murza has visited Canada several times over the past decade to advocate for sanctions against the Putin regime and has worked closely with Canada’s The Estonian Central Council in Canada and Central and Eastern European communities.
In Ottawa on Monday, Vladimir Kara-Murza’s wife Evgenia, was joined by Global Magnitsky sanctions campaign leader, Bill Browder, Central and Eastern European Council President, Marcus Kolga and former Canadian Justice Minister, Irwin Cotler, to call on the Canadian government to impose sanctions on Kara-Murza’s persecutors.
“The Canadian government’s sanctions policy has been very effective in sending a message to the Russian government and Vladimir Putin over the past 8 months of its war against Ukraine,” said Kolga. “We must continue to apply both economic pressure and support Ukraine with much needed defensive weapons. We should also move to the offensive and provide support for Russian pro-democracy civil society activists and journalists to prepare for the coming world without Vladimir Putin.”
“The Estonian community in Canada thanks the Canadian government for imposing sanctions on those Russian officials responsible for detaining and imprisoning our friend Vladimir Kara-Murza and we join calls for his immediate release” said Estonian Central Council in Canada President, Kairi Taul-Hemingway.
