Russian authorities opened a criminal case against Vladimir Kara-Murza, a Russian pro-democracy activist and a contributing columnist for The Washington Post, for spreading “false information” about the war in Ukraine, his lawyer said on Friday.
Mr. Kara-Murza, 40, who was arrested earlier this month, faces 10 years in prison, according to the official decree opening a case against him that was posted online by his lawyer, Vadim Prokhorov, on Friday. It says the activist is being investigated for remarks he made at the Arizona State Legislature on March 15.
Mr. Kara-Murza’s remarks, the decree says, concerned Russian bombardment of civilian targets in Ukraine and were made “with motives of political hatred.” The activist told a local news outlet in Phoenix that Russia was committing “war crimes” in Ukraine but that “Russia and the Putin regime are not one and the same.” Read more
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