Kara-Murza becomes latest Putin opponent to get long jail term

Vladimir Kara-Murza was sentenced to 25 years in prison on Monday for treason and other offenses. These are notable cases.

Vladimir Kara-Murza
A Moscow court convicted 41-year-old Kara-Murza for criticizing Russia’s leadership and the Ukraine war in interviews and speeches last year. His 25-year sentence was the heaviest since Russia invaded its neighbor last February.

ALEXEI NAVALNY
Russia’s most prominent opposition member, Navalny, is serving 11-1/2 years at Melekhovo’s IK-6 prison, 235 kilometers (145 miles) east of Moscow. Supporters and human rights groups allege he was falsely convicted of fraud and contempt of court to silence him. Last Monday, his spokeswoman reported serious stomach pain and weight loss, which his associates suspect is gradual poisoning.

Ilya Yashin
In December 2022, opposition lawmaker Yashin was sentenced to eight-and-a-half years for “false information” concerning the army. He was convicted over a YouTube video in which he reviewed evidence uncovered by Western journalists of alleged Russian crimes in Bucha, near Kyiv, and cast doubt on the official Moscow narrative that such stories had been invented as a “provocation” against Russia.

Alexei Gorinov
In July 2022, Moscow district councilman Gorinov was sentenced to seven years for disseminating military propaganda. He told a council meeting in March that Ukrainian children were “dying every day”. Gorinov was the first person imprisoned under draconian new censorship regulations eight days after the conflict.

Andrei Pivovarov
In July 2022, Pivovarov was sentenced to four years for organizing a “undesirable organization,” Open Russia.

Alexei Moskyov
After his 12-year-old daughter Masha created an anti-war painting at school in 2022, police investigated Moskalyov. In March, he was sentenced to two years for discrediting the military on social media. He evaded house arrest the night before the verdict but was caught in Belarus and deported to Russia.

Ivan Safronov
In September 2022, Safronov was sentenced to 22 years for treason for leaking state secrets in a case that predated the invasion of Ukraine. He was detained in 2020 after advising Russia’s space agency leader. He maintained he just revealed public information. Supporters argued Russia’s hefty punishment showed contempt for media freedom.