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Russia’s supreme court has rejected an appeal by Kremlin critic Vladimir Kara-Murza against his 25-year jail sentence, according to Reuters. 

The prominent Russian opposition figure, who has both Russian and British passports, was arrested near his Moscow home in April 2022 and convicted of treason by a court in April 2023.

He has repeatedly condemned Russia’s war in Ukraine, criticised Vladimir Putin, and lobbied for Western sanctions against Moscow.

In his appeal, Mr Kara-Murza had argued that he had committed no crime and was convicted solely for exercising his right to free speech by expressing public opposition to Mr Putin and the war.

“This whole case is based on the denial of the very concepts of law, justice, and legality,” he said in a written submission to the court.

“But it is also based on a crude, cynical forgery – an attempt to equate criticism of the authorities with harm to the country; to present opposition activity as ‘treason’. But there is nothing new in this, either; it is what every dictatorship does.”