The First Court of Appeals in Moscow has upheld the 25-year prison term handed to outspoken Kremlin critic Vladimir Kara-Murza on charges of high treason, involvement in activities of an undesirable group, and discrediting Russia's armed forces that he and his supporters call politically motivated.
The court rejected Kara-Murza's appeal against his imprisonment, saying his verdict and sentence must stay unchanged.
Live Briefing: Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine
RFE/RL's Ukraine Live Briefing gives you the latest developments on Russia's invasion, Western military aid, the plight of civilians, and territorial control maps. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war, click here.
Kara-Murza was initially arrested in April 2022 after returning to Russia from abroad and charged with disobeying a police officer.
He was later charged with discrediting the Russian military, a charge stemming from Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine and a Kremlin push to stamp out criticism of the subject. The treason charges were added later over remarks he made in speeches outside Russia that criticized Kremlin policies.
The former journalist who holds Russian and British passports has spent years as a politician opposing Russian President Vladimir Putin and has lobbied foreign governments and institutions to impose sanctions on Russia and individual Russians for purported human rights violations. He has twice survived being poisoned, according to his own accounts and those of his supporters. Russian authorities deny any involvement in the alleged attacks.
After Kara-Murza's appeal was rejected, Britain announced sanctions against several Russian judges and officials involved in his trial.
"This is desperate and unfounded," Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on Twitter. "Rejecting @vkaramurza’s appeal is unjustifiable. He should be released immediately."
Moscow city court Judges Vitaly Belitsky, Yekaterina Mikhailovna Dorokhina, and Natalia Nikolaevna Dudar were among those added to the U.K.'s sanctions list. Britain has previously imposed sanctions on some of those connected to the case.
Kara-Murza is one of many opposition activists, reporters, and others who have been arrested and prosecuted under tightened legislation amid a growing Kremlin crackdown on civil society.
According to the human rights group OVD-Info, almost 20,000 Russians have been detained for anti-war protests since the Kremlin launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Kara-Murza was a key advocate for the U.S. Magnitsky Act, which sets out sanctions for human rights violators in Russia.
SEE ALSO: Who Is Vladimir Kara-Murza, The Russian Activist Jailed For Condemning The Ukraine War?In March, the United States designated six people, including three judges, for sanctions due to their role in Kara-Murza’s detention.
The judge who oversaw Kara-Murza’s trial and who read out his sentence on April 17, Sergei Podoprigorov, was one of the first sanctioned by the United States under the Magnitsky Act 10 years ago.