Lawyer Says Location of Jailed Kremlin Critic Vladimir Kara-Murza is “Unknown”

Moscow:

Legal representatives of imprisoned Kremlin critic Vladimir Kara-Murza stated on Wednesday that they were unaware of the dissident’s precise whereabouts after being denied entry to the facility where he was supposed to be incarcerated on two occasions.

Gossips are circulating about an imminent detainee exchange involving Russia and Western nations as several prominent captives, including foreigners, have disappeared from Russian penitentiaries where they are serving lengthy sentences in recent times.

“Today an attorney for Vladimir Kara-Murza was once again prohibited from visiting him in a prison infirmary. The precise location of the political detainee is undisclosed,” his legal counsel Vadim Prokhorov posted on Facebook.

Kara-Murza, a 42-year-old dual Russian and British national, is currently serving a 25-year term in Siberia for treason and other accusations.

He is afflicted with a nerve ailment and was transferred to a detention center infirmary earlier this month for medical assessments.

The dissident is being legally represented by a local lawyer in the Siberian metropolis of Omsk, where he is being detained.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, the attorney was informed that he could not meet with his client due to a medical evaluation, Prokhorov stated.

This rejection of access is a “flagrant violation,” Prokhorov added.

Kara-Murza is scheduled to have a public judicial hearing on Thursday in Omsk regarding a legal appeal. His defense team is requesting that he be allowed to participate through a video connection.

“Court personnel and the management of the detention center infirmary have already expressed doubts about the stability of the video connection with Vladimir Kara-Murza tomorrow,” Prokhorov stated.

“However, they are currently denying that he has been relocated from the infirmary,” Prokhorov added.

AFP reached out to the Federal Prison Service, who stated that they could not furnish details on a detainee without an official request to the penal settlement.

At least seven Russian political captives have been transferred from their correctional facilities or prisons in recent days, according to attorneys and relatives.

An attorney for imprisoned former US marine Paul Whelan, accused of espionage, was also uncertain about his whereabouts on Wednesday.

Moscow and Washington have both acknowledged that negotiations are ongoing for an exchange involving US journalist Evan Gershkovich, who was sentenced to 16 years for espionage earlier this month in a rushed trial criticized as a “sham” by the White House.