Vladimir Kara-Murza: podcast appearances and interviews

Vladimir Vladimirovich Kara-Murza is a Russian-British political activist, journalist, author, filmmaker, and former political prisoner. He is known for his activism in promoting civil society and democracy in Russia; he serves as vice-chairman of Open Russia, an NGO founded by Mikhail Khodorkovsky. Kara-Murza was a protege of the murdered Russian dissident Boris Nemtsov and was elected to the Coordinating Council of the Russian Opposition in 2012. He also served as deputy leader of the People's Freedom Party from 2015 to 2016. As a filmmaker, he has directed documentaries including They Chose Freedom and Nemtsov. He is a Senior Fellow at the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights and received the Civil Courage Prize in 2018. Following his vocal opposition to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Kara-Murza was arrested in April 2022 on charges of disobeying police orders; subsequent charges included discrediting the military and treason, which many organizations considered politically motivated due to his anti-war stance. He was sentenced to 25 years in a Siberian prison colony in April 2023. Despite imprisonment, Kara-Murza continued to write columns for The Washington Post from his cell, earning the Pulitzer Prize for commentary in 2024. He was released from prison on 1 August 2024 as part of a prisoner exchange involving individuals from multiple countries.