Washington, D.C., August 20, 2024 — Free Russia Foundation is pleased to announce the return of Vladimir Kara-Murza as its Vice President. Kara-Murza, a prominent Russian opposition figure, historian, Pulitzer Prize-winning author, and recipient of the Council of Europe’s Václav Havel Human Rights Prize, previously served on FRF Board from 2018 to 2019 and as Vice President from 2019 to 2021.
A close colleague of the slain opposition leader Boris Nemtsov, Kara-Murza has been a leading voice in public diplomacy efforts on behalf of Russian civil society and pro-democracy forces. He played a key role in the passage of the Magnitsky Acts across Europe and North America, which imposed sanctions on top officials from Vladimir Putin’s regime. In April 2022, Kara-Murza was arrested in Moscow and later sentenced to 25 years in prison for publicly denouncing the invasion of Ukraine and the war crimes committed by Russian forces. He endured solitary confinement in a maximum-security prison in Siberia until his release on August 1, 2024, as part of the largest prisoner exchange since the Cold War, negotiated by the U.S. and German governments.
“I am honored and excited to return to Free Russia Foundation and rejoin a team whose professionalism and effectiveness in international advocacy is matched by its passionate commitment to the cause of a free, peaceful, and democratic Russia,” said Kara-Murza upon his appointment. “I look forward to working alongside my colleagues at FRF on behalf of pro-democracy and anti-war Russians to bring closer the day when we can write the words ‘free Russia’ without quotation marks. I have no doubt that day will come.”
Free Russia Foundation President Natalia Arno expressed her enthusiasm for Kara-Murza’s return: “I’m so grateful to have Vladimir’s vision and detailed action plan for a future democratic Russia as he rejoins us as Vice President to help achieve Free Russia Foundation’s mission. His return gives us back the fiercest advocate for Russian civil society, and we look forward to him leveraging his immense in-country and global credibility to bring about a free Russia.”
David Kramer, Chairman of Free Russia Foundation Board, also welcomed Kara-Murza’s return: “I’m thrilled that Vladimir Kara-Murza is once again a free man after being wrongfully detained by Putin’s regime, and I’m equally delighted that he has returned to Free Russia Foundation, where he worked before, and where his wife Evgenia also works. Free Russia Foundation, along with many other organizations and individuals, tirelessly advocated for Vladimir’s release, so it is truly fitting that he returns and continues this important work.”