Press Release, 18.07.2022

Photo: postcards to Vladimir Kara-Murza and Mikhail Afanasyev: “Freedom to Vladimir Kara-Murza and all political prisoners!” “Freedom to Mikhail Afanasyev and all political prisoners!”

Yabloko has printed postcards in support of Vladimir Kara-Murza and Mikhail Afanasyev, who are in custody on criminal cases about “fakes about the army”. In Moscow, one can take postcards on the ground floor of the party office at Pyatnitskaya 31, building 2 and then send them to the prisoners. Soon it will be possible to take postcards from the offices of Yabloko’s regional branches.

Politician Vladimir Kara-Murza has been in custody since 11 April, when he was detained by his house in Moscow. He was charged with disobeying the police. The court found Kara-Murza guilty and sentenced him to 15 days of arrest. While Kara-Murza was serving his arrest, the Investigative Committee of Russia opened a case against him for “military fakes” (Article 207.3, Part 2, Clause “d” of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation). On 22 April, the Basmanny Court of Moscow took Kara-Murza into custody. On the same evening, Ministry of Justice included Kara-Murza into the register of foreign agents.

According to investigators, Vladimir Kara-Murza speaking in the Arizona House of Representatives on 15 March, gave “deliberately false information about the use of the Russian Armed Forces for bombings of residential areas, social infrastructure facilities, including maternity hospitals, hospitals and schools” in Ukraine.

Kara-Murza was taken into custody until 12 August, the date of the trial on changing the preventive measure has not yet been set.

A criminal case was filed against Mikhail Afanasyev, Editor-in-Chief of the online media Noviy Focus in Khakassia and a member of the Yabloko party, under Article 207.3, Part 2, Paragraph “a” of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. He was charged with dissemination of false information about the armed forces of the Russian Federation when using his official position in connection with a publication on the website of Noviy Focus, which ran that 11 riot police officers from Khakassia refused to go to Ukraine. Afanasyev has been in custody since 13 April.

The article on fakes, which Vladimir Kara-Murza and Mikhail Afanasyev are charged with, evisages punishment of either a fine from 3 to 5 million roubles, or correctional labor for up to five years, or imprisonment for a term from five to ten years.

The most important thing for people in prison is the feeling that they are not left alone in trouble.

Russian citizens can write a few kind words on postcards to Vladimir Kara-Murza and Mikhail Afanasyev at the party’s central office in Moscow (Pyatnitskaya d.31, building 2), which is open on weekdays from 10:00 to 19:00.

One can find out about the possibility of signing postcards in other cities in the offices of Yabloko’s regional branches.