Russia summons US, UK, Canadian ambassador for condemning conviction of Kara-Murza

Moscow: US, UK and Canadian ambassadors have been summoned by the Russia’s Foreign Ministry after they condemned the conviction of prominent Russian opposition politician Vladimir Kara-Murza. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova accused the ambassadors of attempting to pressure the judiciary. She further said diplomats who meddled in Russia’s affairs risked being expelled. A report by news agency Interfax said the Russian Foreign Ministry accused the three ambassadors of “crude interference in Russia’s internal affairs and activity incompatible with their diplomatic status.” ‘Inappropriate and provocative’ The US, UK and Canadian ambassadors had made a joint appearance before the TV cameras from outside the Moscow court on Monday to condemn the verdict against Kara-Murza and demanded his release. UK ambassador Deborah Bronnert, on Monday, delivered her remarks in Russian so that the local television channels in Moscow could broadcast what she and her Canadian and the US counterparts wanted to convey. The next day, Russian foreign ministry called Bronnert’s remarks “inappropriate” and “provocative” and said they ran counter to the British embassy’s status and to diplomatic norms. “The fact that Kara-Murza had a British passport in addition to his Russian one meant nothing in the eyes of Russian law,” the foreign ministry added. ‘Diplomats involved in subversive work will be expelled’ “Any actions of the US, Britain and Canada… aimed at inciting discord and enmity in our society will be dealt with in the most decisive way and the diplomats involved in this subversive work will be expelled from Russia,” the Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said. She further said that people she referred to as “traitors… who are applauded in the West” will get what they deserve. Who is Vladimir Kara-Murza? A historian, journalist and political activist, Kara-Murza has alleged been persistently speaking out against Russian President Vladimir Putin despite the mounting risks. He was a close associate of Boris Nemtsov, a leading opposition figure who was assassinated near the Kremlin in 2015. Kara-Murza, 41, holds Russian and British passports. He had lobbied Western governments for sanctions which were later imposed on Russia following its invasion of Ukraine. In 2015 as well as in 2017 Kara-Murza suddenly fell ill in what he said were poisonings by the Russian security services. Both the times, he fell into a coma before eventually recovering. Meanwhile, Russian authorities denied involvement in the incidents. He was arrested in April 2022, moments after CNN broadcast an interview in which he said Russia was being run by a “regime of murderers”. He was later declared a “foreign agent” and was also accused of spreading false information about Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine. In a speech he had given in the Arizona House of Representatives, he said Putin was “dropping cluster bombs on residential areas, mothers’ homes, hospitals, and schools”. In July, last year, he was additionally charged over his involvement with two foreign-based opposition forums that are labelled by Russia as “undesirable”. On 6 October, 2022, he was charged with treason over public speeches he had made in Lisbon, Helsinki and Washington. He was sentenced to 25 years in prison. With inputs from Reuters Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News , India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.