On Wednesday, the US Senate entered the battle for the release of Washington Post columnist Vladimir Kara-Murza. On April 11, he was arrested after criticizing Russian President Vladimir Putin in an interview with CNN.
One of the main opponents of the Putin regime and the target of two poisoning attempts, Putin was formally accused by a Russian court Friday (22nd) of spreading “false” information about the country’s military.
An official memo from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee circulated yesterday described the accusation as a “clear fabrication” based on “brutal laws”.
Columnist who gave an interview to CNN in Russia was arrested
Kara-Murza, also a writer, was arrested outside her Moscow home after calling the Russian government “a regime of assassins” for her role in the invasion of Ukraine. It was not the first time he had spoken out against the regime.
In addition to his tenure at one of the world’s most influential newspapers, he was one of the few remaining dissidents in the country and gave interviews to international media, highlighting political propaganda in the state media and repression of protesters.
The Senate statement condemns the arrest of Putin’s rival and highlights concern for the safety of Kara-Murza, one of the victims of the attack. the country’s fake news law went into effect in March.
It provides for penalties of up to 15 years for journalists and citizens who disclose unofficial information about the “special operation” taking place in Ukraine. The occupation cannot be called a “war”.
For the US Senate, the persecution of the Washington Post columnist is politically motivated:
“[O objetivo é] to divert attention from Putin’s war crimes and to prevent other brave Russians from demonstrating against the Kremlin.
Senate involvement is in line with the position of the Joe Biden administration.
Shortly after the Washington Post columnist was caught two weeks ago, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken tweeted that the US was “concerned” over Kara-Murza’s arrest and called for his immediate release.
The United States is dismayed by the arrest of prominent civil society leader Vladimir Kara-Murza by Russian officials in Moscow today. We are monitoring this situation closely and demand his immediate release.
— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) April 12, 2022
Highlights from the US Senate note released this Wednesday:
“Since Russia invaded Ukraine, more than 15,000 Russians have been detained for criticizing, opposing, or peacefully demonstrating against the war.
In addition, hundreds of Russians were charged under the same law. orwellian He said that Vladimir Kara-Murza was accused of violation.
Putin and his regime have demonstrated their willingness to break any law, local or international, in order to suppress domestic political opposition and subjugate neighboring countries.”
“(…) We condemn the Putin regime’s brutal crackdown on freedom of expression and independent media in Russia and demand the immediate release of Vladimir Kara-Murza and all prisoners of conscience held by the Russian government.”
Arrested columnist spoke to CNN and other international networks
The CNN interview may not be the only reason for the arrest. Vladimir Kara-Murza’s last tweet before he was caught outside his house was an interview for the American MSNBC.
In the post, he warned Western media not to uncritically repeat opinion polls that the majority of Russian citizens would favor “aggression”.
“It is important that Western media outlets do not uncritically repeat these so-called opinion poll numbers claiming that the majority of Russian citizens support this aggression… This is what Putin wants you to believe.”https://t.co/p0vZ18wvSg pic.twitter.com/Io3IajQEGq
— Vladimir Kara-Murza (@vkaramurza) April 11, 2022
On the same date, CNN published the interview with him, but it was not even published on his social media accounts as he was arrested hours later.
The speech on CNN’s Newsroom program came shortly after Vladimir Putin’s performance in a stadium filled with supporters of his government, an act of political propaganda broadcast by state media to show people’s approval.
One of the most sensitive points of the interview was the prediction of the Russian President’s downfall due to the invasion of Ukraine.
“I have absolutely no doubt that the Putin regime will end this war,” he told CNN. And added:
“The two main issues are time and price.
And by price, I don’t mean the monetary value – I mean the once terrible price of blood and human life. But that’s why the Putin regime will end, and a democratic Russia will come after Putin.”
On Friday, when he was formally charged, the government’s indictment posted on facebook by the author’s lawyer, Vadim Prokhorov.
The prosecution claims that Kara-Murza “deliberately spread false information”. [sobre] Military forces of the Russian Federation “which cause significant harm to the interests of the country”.
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Arrests, prosecutions, ‘foreign agent’ law: Putin’s regime’s weapons to silence the media
Columnist arrested in Russia poisoned twice
World-renowned intellectual Vladimir Kara-Murza has written dozens of columns criticizing the Putin regime in the Washington Post’s Global Views section in recent years.
He was poisoned twice, in 2015 and 2017, in what he described as attempts to silence him as he urged Western countries to impose sanctions on Russian officials suspected of human rights abuses.
The author was in a coma twice and always accused the Russian government of orchestrating the crimes. The Kremlin denies any connection to the cases.
Even in prison, Kara-Murza continued to criticize Putin. In a column published by the American newspaper last week, he wrote:
“There will be a dawn.” “Russia will be free. I’ve never been more sure of that than I am today.”
The author was a longtime friend of Russian opposition leader Boris Nemtsov, who was assassinated outside the Kremlin in 2015.
The columnist is also a writer, documentary filmmaker and former candidate for the Russian parliament.
According to The Washington Post, in 2012 the United States, European Union, Canada and the United Kingdom played a key role in passing sanctions laws known as the Magnitsky Act, which target individuals complicit in crime in Russia and elsewhere. human rights violation.
Fred Ryan, editor of the American newspaper, said on Friday (22nd) that Kara-Murza “repeatedly risked his safety to tell the truth about Vladimir Putin’s horrific human rights abuses” and that the allegations against him were a “simulated crime”.
“Americans should be outraged at the escalation of Putin’s campaign to silence Kara-Murza.
Everyone who values the freedom of the press and human rights should be outraged by this injustice and join the demand for the immediate release of Kara-Murza.”
Another Washington Post writer dies
In 2018, another Washington Post columnist was caught for his political views and eventually died.
Critic of the country’s regime, Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi entered the Saudi Arabian embassy in Istanbul to get the documents necessary for his marriage to a Turkish woman and was never seen again.
The crime received international attention. The journalist’s fiancee, Hatice Cengiz, is fighting tirelessly inside the embassy to hold the perpetrators of the crime authorized or ordered by the country’s leader, Prince Mohammed bin Salman, accountable.
at the beginning of the month, Turkish justice decided to close the process by sending the case to be tried in Riyadh.Where will there be almost punishment.
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source: Noticias
