Vladimir Kara-Murza was last seen by his lawyers on July 2, intensifying fears for his safety and well-being. NED continues to call for the immediate and unconditional release of all political prisoners detained in Russia for speaking against the regime.
The National Endowment for Democracy (NED) honored Evgenia Kara-Murza with the Democracy Service Medal for her international advocacy on behalf of all political prisoners, their families, and those who believe in a democratic Russia. NED also honored Vladimir Kara-Murza, imprisoned Russian opposition leader, with the Democracy Service Medal for his support for truth and democracy in Russia and his courage to continue to speak out against Russia’s war in Ukraine even from behind bars. Evgenia Kara-Murza accepted the Democracy Service Medal on his behalf. Evgenia Kara-Murza is a Russian human rights activist and the advocacy director of the Free Russia Foundation (FRF). She is also chair of the 30th of October Foundation, an organization that provides help to Russian political prisoners and their families. Kara-Murza spearheads FRF’s efforts in public diplomacy and global outreach on behalf of Russian civil society. She engages multilateral oversight mechanisms to hold the Russian government accountable for violating its international commitments on human rights, democracy, and the rule of law, and establishing personal accountability for Kremlin officials complicit in corruption and human rights abuses. She is part of FRF’s global campaign for solidarity with Russian anti-war and pro-democracy activists both inside and outside of the country and is a voice for political prisoners in the Russian Federation. Kara-Murza was born in Russia’s Far East, graduated with honors from the Moscow State Linguistic University, and worked as a translator and interpreter for pro-democracy NGOs such as the International Center on Nonviolent Conflict, the Institute of Modern Russia, and Pen America. Vladimir Kara-Murza is a Russian politician, author, historian, and political prisoner. He was arrested in April 2022 and later sentenced to 25 years in prison for his activism and vocal opposition to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Twice, in 2015 and 2017, Kara-Murza was poisoned and left in a coma; a subsequent media investigation identified officers of Russia’s Federal Security Service behind the poisonings. A longtime colleague of opposition leader Boris Nemtsov, Kara-Murza was a candidate for the Russian Parliament and served as deputy leader of the People’s Freedom Party. Kara-Murza played a key role in the adoption of targeted sanctions on Russian human rights violators in the United States, European Union, Canada, and Great Britain. He is a contributing writer at The Washington Post and was awarded the 2024 Pulitzer Prize for Commentary for his columns written from his prison cell. Kara-Murza was the founding chairman of the Nemtsov Foundation and served as vice president of Open Russia and the Free Russia Foundation. Kara-Murza is the recipient of several awards, including the Sakharov Prize for Journalism as an Act of Conscience, the Magnitsky Human Rights Award, and the Geneva Summit Courage Award. #DemocracyAwards