In his first public appearance in the UK since his release in a major prisoner swap in August 2024, Vladimir Kara-Murza addressed an audience of UK and international media at a press conference at RUSI.
Mr Kara-Murza, a prominent Russian opposition politician, journalist, and human rights activist who has been a vocal critic of the Russian government and President Vladimir Putin, discussed his recent imprisonment, the war in Ukraine, and the future of Russian opposition during an address and Q&A session.
The event was organised by the Global Magnitsky Justice Campaign and RUSI's Centre for Finance and Security. The campaign's primary goal is to advocate for the implementation of targeted sanctions, including visa bans and asset freezes, against human rights abusers and corrupt officials worldwide. In the case of Vladimir Kara-Murza, the campaign worked to raise awareness of his imprisonment and advocate for his release.
During his address, Mr Kara-Murza said:
For so many people who are trapped in Putin and Lukashenko’s prisons, this is not just a question of unjust imprisonment; it is also a question, very literally, of life or death… we need to be talking about them, advocating for them and getting them out.
Discussing the possibility for future reform, he said:
We need to learn from past mistakes to make sure we do repeat these failures the next time a window of opportunity for change in Russia opens… there will need to be a process of truth and reconciliation in Russian society.
Vladimir Kara-Murza, Russian Political Activist and Opposition Politician
RUSI’s Associate Director, Dr Jonathan Eyal, who chaired the event, said:
On behalf of the entire Institute, I want to express our immense thanks to Mr Kara-Murza for giving his time to speak at RUSI. Despite his incarceration and the serious personal costs he bore for his activism, Mr Kara-Murza has remained steadfast in his opposition to the current Russian government. His is a vital example for all those committed to opposing Russia’s international aggression and supporting political reform in the country.
Jonathan Eyal
Associate Director, Strategic Research Partnerships
About RUSI’s Centre for Finance and Security
The Centre for Finance and Security (CFS) was established at RUSI in 2014 by its Founding Director, Tom Keatinge.
The CFS specialises in the intersection of finance and security and is currently celebrating ten years of evidence-based research and insight which have provided solutions to some of the biggest challenges in the finance and security landscape.
Its analysis and actionable ideas aim to challenge the status quo and build resilience in the global response to illicit finance. The group’s work covers a range of state- and non-state-based security threats, which it examines through a financial lens across two primary areas: Financial Crime Policy, and Sanctions, State Threats and Economic Security.
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