Russian prosecutors have requested a 25-year prison sentence for Kremlin critic Vladimir Kara-Murza, his lawyer said, adding that the case against the Russian opposition activist on several charges including treason for comments critical of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is proceeding quickly.
Kara-Murza, who was detained in April 2022 after returning to Russia from abroad, is the latest in a string of opposition activists, reporters, and others who have been arrested and prosecuted amid a growing Kremlin crackdown on civil society.
His lawyer, Maria Eismont, told journalists that the prosecutor’s request for the 25-year sentence came at a closed hearing on April 6.
Eismont added that the 41-year-old Kara-Murza, who twice nearly died after what he says were deliberate poisoning attacks, has lost 17 kilograms during his detention.
The trial of the prominent activist was expected to open on March 16 but was delayed until March 20 after his lawyer told the court his health had “significantly deteriorated.”
A certificate from the medical unit of Kara-Murza’s detention facility read by the judge during a hearing last month said that he could not participate in the trial “until the end of the current course of treatment” being prescribed.
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