Latvia imposes sanctions against 10 Russian citizens over the sentence to journalist Kara-Murza

Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkēvičs noted that these individuals were involved in the fabricated case against Vladimir Kara-Murza, but has not yet specified their names.

Photo: Vladimir Kara-Murza in the court. @Anton Novoderezhkin/Tass/picture alliance

On April 17, Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkēvičs tweeted that sanctions had been imposed on 10 Russians in connection with the sentencing of a Russian politician, journalist, and Putin critic Vladimir Kara-Murza.

“I condemn the unjust and harsh sentence against prominent Russian opposition politician Vladimir Kara-Murza handed down by the Russian court today. 

I have decided to impose a travel ban on 10 Russian individuals who are complicit in this sham case. I call on the EU to impose sanctions as well,” the minister wrote.

Edgars Rinkēvičs did not specify the names of these individuals.

On Monday, April 17, the Moscow City Court sentenced Russian opposition politician and journalist Vladimir Kara-Murza to 25 years in prison. He was accused of spreading “fakes” about the Russian army, participating in an “undesirable organization” and treason. In addition, according to the court’s verdict, Kara-Murza will not be allowed to engage in journalistic activities for seven years after his release from the colony.

In March, the U.S. Treasury Department added six Russian citizens involved in the criminal prosecution and violation of Vladimir Kara-Murza’s rights to the sanctions list. The sanctions were imposed, in particular, against Andrey Zadachin, an investigator for particularly important cases of the Russian Investigative Committee; Elena Lenskaya, a judge of the Basmanny Court; and Daniil Mikheev, a participant in a number of trials as a prosecution witness. In addition, the judge of the Khamovnitsky District Court who ordered the arrest of Kara-Murza, Diana Mischenko, the judge of the Moscow City Court who rejected the appeal against Mischenko’s ruling, Ilya Kozlov, and Oleg Sviridenko, Deputy Minister of Justice of Russia, were also sanctioned.

Vladimir Kara-Murza was arrested in Moscow in April 2022. A criminal case was opened against him on charges of spreading “fakes” about the army and he was placed in a pre-trial detention center. In July, another criminal case was opened against him – about the work of an “undesirable” organization. On October 6, he was charged with treason.