'I hope I live to see the day': Ex-political prisoner Vladimir Kara-Murza shares wish to see Putin on trial for war crimes
by Flaminia Luck · LBCBy Flaminia Luck
Putin critic and former political prisoner Vladimir Kara-Murza has shared his wish to see Vladimir Putin put on trial for war crimes.
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In April 2023, the Russian-British former journalist was sentenced to 25 years in jail, due to him being critical of the war in Ukraine.
But less than a year and a half later, he was released as part of a historic prisoner exchange between Russia and the West - the biggest since the end of the Cold War.
Speaking to LBC's Tonight with Andrew Marr, Mr Kara-Murza reflected on his time in prison in Siberia and the "longest day of his life" when he was eventually freed.
He also shared his dream of the day the Russian president appears in court on trial for alleged war crimes.
'One of the bravest men I've ever met': Andrew Marr speaks to released Russian prisoner Vladimir Kara-Murza
"That was the longest day of my life - August 1, 2024," Mr Kara-Murza told Andrew.
"It started in the morning, when the deputy director of the prison came into my cell. A few prison guards brought my bags from storage.
"He told me to take off my prison uniform and put on whatever civilian clothes that I had.
"The only civilian clothes I had were my black t-shirt – in which I slept – my long-johns because it was -40C in winter and the rubber flip flops that I used to go into the prison shower."
Read more: Putin opponent Vladimir Kara-Murza sentenced to 25 years in jail in Russia for treason
"I was kept in a small cell, about two metres by three, four walls, a small window with metal bars.
Mr Kara-Murza said he was escorted to a bus waiting in the prison courtyard, which was full of FSB officers and friends and other political colleagues who had been serving time in prison.
"It was at that moment, and at that moment only, that I understood what was happening," he said.
"There could only be one reason why all of us would be on the same bus together."
He continued: "We arrived in Ankara, the actual exchange taking place on the tarmac in a military zone in the airport.
"The group were then taken to a government building with "a big reception room with a long table with tea, coffee sandwiches, cookies".
"Things just couldn’t get more surreal," he said."I was still wearing my t-shirt, long johns and rubber flip flops - and just to underscore how surreal that day was, that same evening, I’ll be meeting with Chancellor Olaf Scholz wearing that same t-shirt, long-johns and rubber flip flops."
"Mr Kara-Murza was then approached by a woman who handed him a phone, saying "the president of the United States is waiting to speak with you"."At that moment, I just thought I'm just going to give up trying to understand what is happening here," he said.
He continued: "I spoke to him, I thanked him for what had happened, and then he passed the phone to my wife and children who were with him in the Oval Office."
Having not been allowed to speak to his family at all while he was locked up, Mr Kara-Murza said there were no words "in any of the languages I know" to describe the feeling of hearing their voices in that moment.
Despite everything he went through, he said he has "no doubt" that he will return to Russia in the future as it will always be his home.
"I don't only believe, I know that I'm going to be back home in Russia," he told an FSB officer as he left his homeland. "And it's going to be much sooner than you can ever imagine."
"A few days before that, there was this really bizarre episode where I was taken from my cell by two prison officials, escorted to some sort of prison office where there was a desk, a chair, a big portrait of Vladimir Putin on the wall and on the desk a sheet of paper with a pen and a pre-printed template next to it.
"They told me to sit down and write with my own hand what was written in the template.
"I looked at it and it was a request for pardon addressed to Vladimir Putin in which I was supposed to admit my guilt, all the crimes I had committed, express my remorse and ask Mr Putin to pardon me.
"When I saw it first I thought it was a prank. I just laughed at these prison officials but they didn’t seem to be in the mood for joking – Russian prison officials rarely are.
"I asked them ‘What is this?’ and they aid ‘Please write and sign this’.
"I said I'm never going to write anything like this they said why not andi said well first because I do not consider Vladimir Putin to be a lawful president, consider him to be a usurper, a dictator and a murderer, and second im not going to admit any guilt because im not the one guilty of anything.
"The real criminals are those people in the Kremlin who are leading this war in Ukraine not those of us who are in prisons because we oppose it. The prison officials were visibly not amused.
"The officer asked me if I would be prepared to put that in writing.
"I said this I will be very happy to write so I put all that down.
He added that: “I very much hope to live to see the day when VP will be sitting in a dock on trial for all the crimes he has committed”
'These are war crimes, absolutely.'