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Russian opposition figure Vladimir Kara-Murza, accused of treason and of discrediting the Russian army, stands inside an enclosure for defendants during a court hearing in Moscow,
Russia’s Foreign Ministry summoned the U.S., British and Canadian ambassadors for a dressing down on Tuesday after they condemned the conviction of an opposition politician for treason.
A Moscow court jailed Kremlin critic Vladimir Kara-Murza – who holds Russia and British passports – for 25 years after convicting him of treason on Monday in a trial he and the West said was politically motivated. It was the harshest sentence of its kind since Russia invaded Ukraine.
Kara-Murza, 41, successfully lobbied Western governments to impose sanctions on Russia and individual Russians for purported human rights violations. He also condemned what Moscow calls its “special military operation” in Ukraine.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry accused the three ambassadors of “crude interference in Russia’s internal affairs and activity incompatible with their diplomatic status”, Interfax news agency reported.
There was no immediate comment from the three embassies.
The U.S., British and Canadian ambassadors had made a joint appearance in front of TV cameras on the steps of the Moscow court on Monday to condemn the verdict and demand Kara-Murza’s release.
British ambassador Deborah Bronnert delivered her remarks in Russian so that Russian-language TV channels could potentially broadcast them.
SOURCE:REUTERS
