Russian opposition activist sentenced to decades in prison

A Russian court on Monday convicted Vladimir Kara-Murza Jr. of treason for denouncing Russia’s war in Ukraine. The activist and journalist was sentenced to 25 years in prison but he rejects the validity of the charges. Kara-Murza is a dual Russian-British citizen and has been in jail since his arrest last April. Human rights organization Amnesty International and the European Union condemned the ruling as unfair and politically motivated.

Why have international leaders deemed the trial unfair? The EU said the trial did not meet the international standards for a fair and public hearing by an impartial tribunal. Days after Russian forces invaded Ukraine, Moscow enacted a law that made it a crime to spread “false information” about its military. The law has been used to imprison and fine thousands of Russians who have spoken out about the war.

Dig deeper: Listen to Jill Nelson and Mary Reichard’s report on The World and Everything in It podcast about the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant for Putin.