Sentenced to twenty-five years in prison in Russia, Vladimir Kara-Mourza was released on 1Ahem August, with fifteen other political prisoners, in the largest exchange with the West since the end of the Cold War. During his stay in Paris, he confided, in an interview given to World, his project to unite the oppositions and build a “road map” to build the future of a democratic Russia.
Since his release on 1Ahem In August, you met with US President Joe Biden, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron. What message did you want to send them?
I also met with the President of Finland, Alexander Stubb. I had two main messages for everyone. The first, which was very important for me, was to talk about the political prisoners in Putin’s gulags. According to estimates, there are more than 1,300 in Russia and around 2,000 in Belarus; not counting the Ukrainian prisoners of war. I feel a moral responsibility towards them every day. It is not just a question of unjust imprisonment, but of life and death. For example, Alexei Gorinov, the elected municipal official and the first person convicted for opposing the war in Ukraine, is over 60 years old, has one lung missing and his conditions of detention are horrible. There is also Maria Kolesnikova, an oppositionist in Belarus whose life we do not know. We cannot afford the luxury of exchanging 1000 prisoners.Ahem August, who saved sixteen lives, including mine, remains unique.
And the second message?
We need to think about the future. Major political changes in our country happen suddenly, whether it is the end of the Romanov Empire or the end of the Soviet Empire. However, it is very important not to repeat the mistakes of the 1990s, during which there was no real break with the communist past, no responsibility was established, and no one was to blame. When Putin’s regime ends, and it will end, he will be the leader of the communist regime. You will have to open the files, be prepared to judge all the responsible for the crimes committed in Ukraine but also against the Russian people, the murder of Boris Nemtsov [opposant assassiné en 2015] and Alexei Navalny [mort en détention en février].
In the 1990s, democratic countries were not really ready to welcome a free and democratic Russia as was done with the countries of the former Soviet bloc. There were symbolic things like joining the Council of Europe, but that is all. We need to think of a roadmap to integrate post-Putin Russia into the international community. If Europe wants to live united and in peace, it will be with a free and democratic Russia.
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