Vladimir Kara-Murza

Moscow/Washington

Russia, human rights, democracy Education: M.A. (Cantab.) in History from Cambridge Vladimir Kara-Murza is a Russian democracy activist, politician, author, and filmmaker. He was a longtime colleague of Russian opposition leader Boris Nemtsov and chairs the Boris Nemtsov Foundation for Freedom. Kara-Murza is a former deputy leader of the People’s Freedom Party and was a candidate for the Russian State Duma. He has testified before Parliaments in Europe and North America and played a key role in the passage of the Magnitsky legislation that imposed targeted sanctions on Russian human rights violators in the U.S., Canada, Great Britain, and several EU countries. U.S. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) called Kara-Murza “one of the most passionate and effective advocates for passage of the Magnitsky Act”; U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) described him as “a courageous advocate for the democratic process and fundamental universal human rights.” Twice, in 2015 and 2017, Kara-Murza was poisoned with an unknown substance and left in a coma; the attempts on his life were widely viewed as politically motivated. He is a contributing writer at the Washington Post and hosts a weekly show on Echo of Moscow radio, and has previously worked for the BBC, RTVi, Kommersant, and other media outlets. He has directed three documentary films, They Chose Freedom, Nemtsov, and My Duty to Not Stay Silent; and is the author of Reform or Revolution: The Quest for Responsible Government in the First Russian State Duma and a contributor to several volumes, including Russian Liberalism: Ideas and People, Europe Whole and Free: Vision and Reality, and Boris Nemtsov and Russian Politics: Power and Resistance. Kara-Murza has led successful international efforts to commemorate Nemtsov, including with street designations in Washington and Vilnius. He is a vice president of the Free Russia Foundation and a senior fellow at the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights; and has been a visiting fellow at the University of Chicago, leading a seminar course on contemporary Russia. Kara-Murza has been profiled on CBS 60 Minutes and NBC Nightly News, and has appeared on CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, and BBC Newsnight. He is a 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. He holds an M.A. (Cantab.) in History from Cambridge. He is married, with three children. Honors & Awards:

Magnitsky Human Rights Award
Sakharov Prize for Journalism as an Act of Conscience
Geneva Summit Courage Award
Train Foundation’s Civil Courage Prize
Oxi Courage Award
Freedom, Democracy and Human Rights Prize from the Czech Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes

Languages spoken in addition to English: Russian, English, French

Books by Vladimir Kara-Murza:
Reform or Revolution: The Quest for Responsible Government in the First Russian State Duma (Moscow 2011)
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Russia’s Choices: The Duma Elections and After (London 2003), contributor
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Russian Liberalism: Ideas and People (Moscow 2007), contributor
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Why Europe Needs a Magnitsky Law (London 2013), contributor
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Boris Nemtsov and Russian Politics: Power and Resistance (Stuttgart 2018), contributor
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The Presence of the Past: Essays on Memory, Conflict, and Reconciliation (Washington / London 2019), contributor
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Europe Whole and Free. Vision and Reality (Warsaw 2019), contributor
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Latest from Vladimir Kara-Murza

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I called up my would-be killer. He didn’t want to talk.

An investigation exposes the members of a Kremlin hit team.

Feb 23, 2021

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Alexei Navalny may be in jail, but he’s helping to give birth to a new Russia

The protests across Russia show that society is waking up.

Jan 29, 2021

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Biden’s predecessors emboldened Putin. Here’s how he can get Russia right.

The new administration should stand up for U.S. principles

Jan 22, 2021

Global Opinions
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The Kremlin wants to control the next election. The result may be not quite what it expects.

Putin's efforts to fix the approaching election are getting increasingly desperate.

Dec 14, 2020

Global Opinions
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Putin’s latest election dirty tactic: Label the opposition as ‘foreign agents’

A few opposition lawmakers in municipal and regional governments is one thing, but even a single dissenting voice in the national parliament would present a challenge to Putin's hold on Russia.

Nov 20, 2020

Global Opinions
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Putin’s biggest fear is to be held accountable for his regime’s crimes

The Kremlin moves to enact lifelong immunity for Putin.

Nov 13, 2020

Global Opinions
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In Russia, the past is a constantly moving target

No one rewrites history in Russia more than Vladimir Putin himself.

Nov 4, 2020

Global Opinions
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Remembering Yuri Orlov, a giant of the human rights movement

He and his friends found a way to stand up to Soviet power.

Oct 8, 2020

Global Opinions
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The Russian opposition wins at the polls — while their leader recovers from poisoning

As Alexei Navalny recovers in Germany, his supporters win elections in Siberia.

Sep 18, 2020

Global Opinions
Opinion

The world must pay attention to the suspected poisoning of Alexei Navalny. My own case shows why.

Another dissident is gravely ill. There must be consequences from the West.

Aug 21, 2020

About Vladimir Kara-Murza

Vladimir Kara-Murza is a Russian democracy activist, politician, author, and filmmaker. He was a longtime colleague of Russian opposition leader Boris Nemtsov and chairs the Boris Nemtsov Foundation for Freedom. Kara-Murza is a former deputy leader of the People’s Freedom Party and was a candidate for the Russian State Duma. He has testified before Parliaments in Europe and North America and played a key role in the passage of the Magnitsky legislation that imposed targeted sanctions on Russian human rights violators in the U.S., Canada, Great Britain, and several EU countries. U.S. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) called Kara-Murza “one of the most passionate and effective advocates for passage of the Magnitsky Act”; U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) described him as “a courageous advocate for the democratic process and fundamental universal human rights.” Twice, in 2015 and 2017, Kara-Murza was poisoned with an unknown substance and left in a coma; the attempts on his life were widely viewed as politically motivated. He is a contributing writer at the Washington Post and hosts a weekly show on Echo of Moscow radio, and has previously worked for the BBC, RTVi, Kommersant, and other media outlets. He has directed three documentary films, They Chose Freedom, Nemtsov, and My Duty to Not Stay Silent; and is the author of Reform or Revolution: The Quest for Responsible Government in the First Russian State Duma and a contributor to several volumes, including Russian Liberalism: Ideas and People, Europe Whole and Free: Vision and Reality, and Boris Nemtsov and Russian Politics: Power and Resistance. Kara-Murza has led successful international efforts to commemorate Nemtsov, including with street designations in Washington and Vilnius. He is a vice president of the Free Russia Foundation and a senior fellow at the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights; and has been a visiting fellow at the University of Chicago, leading a seminar course on contemporary Russia. Kara-Murza has been profiled on CBS 60 Minutes and NBC Nightly News, and has appeared on CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, and BBC Newsnight. He is a 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. He holds an M.A. (Cantab.) in History from Cambridge. He is married, with three children.