Wife of Russian-British citizen locked up in Siberia says UK could have been ‘more vocal’

Listening to Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips, MEZIESBLOG heard comments from Evgenia Kara-Murza, the wife of a dual Russian-British citizen locked up in Siberia.

Kremlin critic Vladimir Kara-Murza, who was arrested near his Moscow home in April 2022, was convicted of treason by a court in the Russian capital in April 2023.

The political activist and prominent opposition figure, who claims he has twice survived poisonings which he blamed on the country’s authorities, was sentenced to 25 years in prison.

She tells Trevor Phillips: “The British government could have been more vocal about his unlawful illegal arrest and detention for two years now.”

She also says the “UK’s policy with regard to hostages and political prisoners” was “not acceptable anymore”.

“By saying that we do not engage, the UK government sends a very bad signal to its citizens all over the world that if you end up in a situation like this, [then] sorry, you’re on your own,” she says.

She said such a position was not acceptable in the 21st century “in a civilised world”.

And Mrs Kara-Murza is calling for a “different approach” because “the number of hostages and political prisoners around the world is on the rise”.

She also says she was “very grateful” for a recent meeting she had with the foreign secretary, Lord Cameron, about the matter.

After the 1 March meeting, she said she was “very happy” that it had taken place after a lengthy campaign and regarded it as “a sign of goodwill on his part”.

She says: “He assured me of his support and his willingness, his preparedness, to fight for Vladimir’s release and to make sure that Vladimir’s case is always publicised. So, I think, all in all, it went well.”