Mr. Speaker, I rise today in the House to acknowledge the invaluable presence on Parliament Hill of the great political figure, former prisoner of conscience and steadfast Russian opposition activist Vladimir Kara-Murza.
On April 17, 2023, the Moscow City Court sentenced Mr. Kara-Murza to 25 years in prison for high treason. To this day, this is the harshest prison sentence ever imposed on a political prisoner in Putin's Russia. This August will mark the second anniversary of his release.
I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge the work of the Montreal-based Raoul Wallenberg Centre, founded by lawyer, former justice minister and personal friend Irwin Cotler, as well as the efforts of all the parliamentarians who rallied to his cause. Since regaining his freedom, Mr. Kara-Murza has actively resumed his leading role in defending democracy and the rights of thousands of political prisoners.
Vladimir Kara-Murza may rest assured that the Bloc Québécois will always stand with him in his fight for freedom and justice.