Defiant Kremlin critic Vladimir Kara-Murza likens his case to Stalin’s show trials

Russian opposition figure facing up to 25 years in jail tells Moscow court he stands by all of his political statements

Russian opposition figure Vladimir Kara-Murza, who faces up to a quarter of a century in jail on treason charges, has told a Moscow court that he stood by all of his political statements and said his prosecution resembled one of Joseph Stalin’s show trials.

Kara-Murza, 41, who holds Russian and British passports, has denied several charges including treason and spreading false information about the Russian army. Prosecutors have requested a 25-year prison sentence.