Press Release, 5.03.2021

Photo: Deputies of the Pskov Regional Assembly from Yabloko Artur Gaiduk and Lev Shlosberg / Photo: Artyom Avanesov

More than three weeks have passed since the publication of the investigation by Bellingcat and The Insider about the circumstances of the two attempts on murder on politician and journalist Vladimir Kara-Murza Jr., but the Investigative Committee of Russia keeps silent. Earlier, the Investigative Committee did not respond to direct appeals from Vladimir Kara-Murza and his lawyer Vadim Prokhorov. Yabloko deputies demand to start legal proceedings.

Deputies of the Pskov Regional Assembly Lev Shlosberg and Artur Gaiduk (the Yabloko faction) sent an appeal to Alexander Bastrykin, Chairman of the Investigative Committee of Russia, demanding to initiate a criminal case on the grounds of a crime under Article 277 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation “Encroachment on the life of a statesman or public figure, committed in order to terminate his state or other political activities, or out of revenge for such activities”, on the fact of encroachment on the life of Vladimir Kara-Murza Jr.

On 11 February, 2021, several media released publications presenting the results of a journalistic investigation conducted by the independent international investigative group Bellingcat and the Internet publication The Insider (Russia) with the participation of the Der Spiegel magazine (FRG) and concerning two poisonings of Russian politician and a public activist Vladimir Kara-Murza in 2015 and 2017.

The results of the investigation in Russian are published on the website of The Insider in the article “Counter-sanctions. How FSB officers tried to poison Vladimir Kara-Murza”.

Twice – in May 2015 and in February 2017 – Vladimir Kara-Murza was in intensive care with symptoms of severe poisoning, with multiple organ failure and in a coma. Both times his chances of survival were assessed as extremely low; it was possible to avoid a lethal outcome solely thanks to the skill of doctors. Both during hospitalisation and in the report at the City Clinical Hospital in Moscow in February 2017, Vladimir Kara-Murza was diagnosed with “Toxic effect of an unspecified substance”.

The Yabloko MPS indicate in the appeal that on 11 December, 2015 and 22 February, 2017, Vladimir Kara-Murza, together with lawyer Vadim Prokhorov, sent statements about the crime to the Investigative Committee of Russia with a request to initiate a criminal case on the grounds of a crime under Article 105 Part 2 paragraph “l” of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, committed on the basis of political and ideological hatred, with the application of Article 30 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (attempted murder).

The applicants note that until now, in violation of the provisions of Article 145 Parts 1 – 2 of the Criminal Procedure Code of the Russian Federation, the Investigative Committee did not notify either the applicant or his lawyer about the decisions made and did not issue copies of the decisions to initiate a criminal case or to refuse to do so.

It follows from the materials of the investigation that the same people who participated in the murders of Timur Kuashev in 2014, Ruslan Magomedragimov in 2015, Nikita Isayev in 2019, and the attempted murder of Alexei Navalny in 2020 tried to kill Vladimir Kara-Murza.

According to the investigation, during the several months preceding the two hospitalisations of Vladimir Kara-Murza, he was accompanied by officers of the Federal Security Service (FSB) of the Russian Federation Roman Mezentsev, Alexander Samofal, Konstantin Kudryavtsev, and Valery Sukharev in his trips to the Russian regions (Tomsk, St. Petersburg, Kaliningrad, Kazan, and Nizhny Novgorod). Reportedly, the aforementioned Federal Security Service officers belong to the Second Service (Directorate for the Protection of the Constitutional System) and the Institute of Criminalistics (NII-2 of the FSB of Russia or military unit 34435), which presumably includes a laboratory for the production of poisons and chemical warfare agents.

Publication of information about the possible commission of a crime in the media is an independent basis for conducting an inspection and initiating a criminal case.

An encroachment on the life of a public figure, committed in order to terminate his political activity or out of revenge for such activity, constitutes a crime under Article 277 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.

Lev Shlosberg and Artur Gaiduk note in their statement that “the practices of any violent influence on opposition statesmen and public figures is criminal. Any attempts to silence opponents of the current state power, deprive them of the opportunity to participate in public life, make political activity punishable and, moreover, mortally dangerous for citizens, are categorically unacceptable”.

The MPs ask the Chairman of the Investigative Committee of Russia to initiate a criminal case on the grounds of a crime under Article 277 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation “Encroachment on the life of a statesman or public figure, made in order to terminate his state or other political activities or out of revenge for such activities “, on the fact of encroachment on the life of public figure Vladimir Kara-Murza Jr.

“More than three weeks have passed since the publication, but the investigative authorities of Russia do not react in any way. So, we have to ask them questions directly and publicly. We have submitted an application, the answer will be published, “Lev Shlosberg commented on forwarding the application to the Investigative Committee.