After Navalny’s death, wife of another Putin critic fears for his safety

In the wake of Alexei Navalny's death in an Arctic penal colony last month, the wife of jailed Russian dissident Vladimir Kara-Murza raised alarm on Monday (Mar 25), warning that the lives of many political prisoners in Russia, including her husband's, were at risk.

Last April, Kara-Murza, who had condemned Russia's war in Ukraine and campaigned for Western sanctions against Moscow, was sentenced to 25 years on charges of treason and other offences that he denied. He compared the case against him to a Stalinist show trial, marking the harshest sentence imposed on an opposition politician since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

"I understand that lives of many people who ended up behind bars today because of their opposition to the regime, many lives are in danger," Evgenia Kara-Murza, advocacy director at the Free Russia Foundation, a civil society organisation said, as quoted by Reuters. 

"That is not just my husband's life who is indeed a years-long opponent of the regime, but also the lives of strong and vocal opponents of Vladimir Putin," she added.

Navalny, President Vladimir Putin's most outspoken critic within Russia, died at the age of 47 in a prison camp on February 16. His death ignited accusations from his supporters, alleging foul play. However, the Kremlin has vehemently denied any state involvement in his death.

Also read | Putin says he approved prisoner swap involving Alexei Navalny before his death

Concerns for other activists

Evgenia Kara-Murza expressed concern for other activists, including Alexandra Skochilenko, who was imprisoned for protesting against the war in Ukraine by replacing supermarket price tags with anti-war messages, and Alexei Gorinov, a Moscow district councillor incarcerated for criticising Russia's invasion. These individuals, like her husband, are deemed to be at risk.

Vladimir Kara-Murza, who suffers from a neurological condition following two instances of poisoning attempts, was relocated to a new penal colony in Siberia in January and placed in solitary confinement, according to his wife's statement.

"Now he's being held by basically the same people who tried to kill him twice in the past," Evgenia Kara-Murza said.

Also watch | How did Navalny die?

She mentioned that her husband is confined in a compact cell measuring approximately six square metres, furnished with a wall-mounted bed during the day to discourage lying down, and equipped with a single backless stool. He is prohibited from receiving phone calls or visitors. Before his relocation last December, Kara-Murza had a brief telephone exchange with his three children.

(With inputs from agencies)