Russian dissident 'banned' from talking to his children
The wife of Vladimir Kara-Murza says he 鈥渄oes not regret鈥� returning to Russia, despite his imprisonment.
Evgenia Kara-Murza, an activist and wife of jailed Russian dissident Vladimir Kara-Murza, has told the 大象传媒 Hardtalk programme that her husband has been banned from talking to his children.
Mr Kara-Murza has not spoken to his wife or children 鈥渟ince April鈥� when he was arrested shortly after returning to the country.
Russian authorities have now said that conversations with his children could undermine the legal process for his forthcoming trial, Mrs Kara-Murza told Stephen Sackur.
Mr Kara-Murza, who was initially detained for 15 days for disobeying police could now face up to 24 years in prison on a number of charges, including treason. He has been a long-standing critic of Vladimir Putin鈥檚 government.
The ban on communication with her husband is an example of the Kremlin鈥檚 attempts to 鈥渂reak鈥� political prisoners psychologically, Mrs Kara-Murza said.
When Russia invaded Ukraine, she did not try to prevent her husband from returning to Russia to protest, despite the risks. She insists he 鈥渄efinitely does not regret鈥� the decision, because to him 鈥渟ilence means complicity鈥�.
According to the independent Russian human rights organisation OVD-info, more than 19,000 protesters have been detained since the invasion began.
