The Free Russia Foundation is a non-profit pro-democracy organization striving for a free Russia. We seek and support positive changes in our home country. We are ‘desirable’ among those who value democracy and human rights and, for that, we know we are in good company with 15 other honorable organizations. More
The Free Russia Foundation is a non-profit pro-democracy organization striving for a free Russia. We seek and support positive changes in our home country. We are ‘desirable’ among those who value democracy and human rights and, for that, we know we are in good company with 15 other honorable organizations. Our focus is on the best interests of the Russian people. We are not distracted by designations from those who want Russia to remain an authoritarian country.
Russia will be free. And we will be even more proud of it.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Natalia Arno, President
Phone: +1 202.549.2417
Email: [email protected]
VLADIMIR KARA-MURZA TO JOIN FREE RUSSIA FOUNDATION (FRF) LEADERSHIP AS VICE PRESIDENT
WASHINGTON D.C., June 20, 2019. The Free Russia Foundation, a 501(c) 3 non-profit organization working to defend civil liberties and human rights in Russia and restore the country’s path to democracy, has announced a new high-profile addition to its leadership team.
On July 1, 2019, Vladimir V. Kara-Murza, a prominent Russian democracy activist, author and filmmaker will join FRF as Vice President to lead the organization’s public diplomacy, global outreach and advocacy efforts.
“I am honored to join this team of committed defenders of democracy and the rule of law in Russia, whose passion is rivaled only by their effectiveness,” Kara-Murza said of FRF. “The Kremlin, for now, has monopolized all aspects of Russian public life at home, but we will not let it usurp the exclusive right to speak on behalf of Russia in the world. There are many Russians who have a very different, democratic vision for our country – and we must make sure that their voices are heard.”
“The Free Russia Foundation welcomes Vladimir Kara-Murza to our great team! We are honored to be colleagues with this outstanding hero and freedom fighter. Together, we will achieve even more in our efforts to push for positive changes in Russia and deter the Kremlin’s malign activities in the world,” FRF President Natalia Arno said of Vladimir Kara-Murza joining the organization.
David J. Kramer, Chairman of the FRF Board, said, “Having Vladimir Kara-Murza join the FRF team makes an amazing organization even stronger and more effective. He is a perfect fit with the vitally important work that Natalia and her dedicated team perform. The Board and I remain deeply impressed by and committed to the work of FRF and believe that the future of the organization will be even brighter with Vladimir in this new capacity.”
Kara-Murza was a longtime colleague of Russian opposition leader Boris Nemtsov and chairs the Boris Nemtsov Foundation for Freedom. He is a former deputy leader of the People’s Freedom Party and was a candidate for the Russian State Duma. He has testified before Parliaments in Europe and North America and played a key role in the passage of the Magnitsky legislation that imposed targeted sanctions on Russian human rights violators in the U.S., Canada, Great Britain, and several EU countries. U.S. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) called Kara-Murza “one of the most passionate and effective advocates for passage of the Magnitsky Act”; U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) commended him as “a courageous advocate for the democratic process and fundamental universal human rights.”
He is a contributing writer to the Washington Post and has previously worked for the BBC, RTVi, Echo of Moscow, Kommersant, and other media outlets. He directed two documentary films, They Chose Freedom and Nemtsov, and is the author of Reform or Revolution: The Quest for Responsible Government in the First Russian State Duma and a contributor to Russia’s Choices: The Duma Elections and After, Russian Liberalism: Ideas and People, Why Europe Needs a Magnitsky Law, and Boris Nemtsov and Russian Politics: Power and Resistance.
Kara-Murza led international efforts to commemorate Nemtsov, including with street designations in Washington D.C. and Vilnius. He is a recipient of the Magnitsky Human Rights Award, the Sakharov Prize for Journalism as an Act of Conscience, the Geneva Summit Courage Award, the Train Foundation’s Civil Courage Prize, and the Oxi Courage Award. He holds an M.A. (Cantab.) in History from Cambridge.
Natalia Arno, the founder of the Free Russia Foundation, will continue serving as President and Board Member (ex officio) and direct day-to-day operations from its headquarters in Washington D.C.
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For more information, please visit the Free Russia Foundation’s website, www.4freerussia.org, or contact Natalia Arno at +1 202.549.2417 and [email protected].
Dear friends and colleagues,
Our new groundbreaking report “MISRULE OF LAW: HOW THE KREMLIN USES WESTERN INSTITUTIONS TO UNDERMINE THE WEST” has been published online today: https://www.4freerussia.org/misrule-of-law/ More
NPR was given exclusive coverage of the release: https://www.npr.org/2019/06/12/731578176/report-russia-exploits-western-legal-systems-institutions-to-its-advantage
Since our report was posted on our website, we have been under constant DDoS attacks and our website was down several times.
We have also created a separate account on Google and uploaded the report at: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1nQtI61LLlngxilP-yol9DBlQclzRsCMR/view?usp=drivesdk
Please help support our efforts to publicize the Kremlin’s attacks on the rule of law in the West by posting the report with the original and additional links and, if you wish, on your organizations’ websites – so it’s definitely available to media and policy makers tomorrow at our conference “STRATEGIES TO DEFEND DEMOCRATIC INSTITUTIONS AND THE RULE OF LAW IN THE WEST” (https://www.4freerussia.org/strategies-to-defend-democratic-institutions-and-the-rule-of-law-in-the-west/) and later on.
May 30, 2019
FREE RUSSIA FOUNDATION STATEMENT AGAINST PERSECUTION OF HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS IN OCCUPIED CRIMEA
On May 30, 2019 two Crimean Tatar activists, Lutfie Zudieva and Mumine Salieva, were detained by the Russian authorities (Center for Combating Extremism) in occupied Crimea. Lutfie Zudieva was apprehended on her way home from the market, while Mumine Salieva was approached by security forces at her home.
Lutfie Zudieva and Mumine Salieva are being accused of “propaganda or public display of extremist organizations” under Article 20.3 of the Russian Federation Code of Administrative Offences.
Lutfie Zudieva is both a director of the children’s center “Elif” and an activist. She has also been a civic defender within the judicial process of participants in the picket on December 18, 2017.
Mumine Salieva, wife of political prisoner Seiran Saliev, is a human rights activist and founder of the “Crimean Childhood” initiative, which aims in assisting children in occupied Crimea. She is also an active participant of Crimean Solidarity movement, whose goal is to help all of the political prisoners suffering from injustice within Crimea at the hands of the Kremlin regime. To this end, members of Crimean Solidarity provide legal, financial, and moral assistance to the victims and their relatives.
The lawyers were denied access to Crimean Tatar activists. Trial hearings will take place at the de facto Kiev district court in Simferopol.
The Free Russia Foundation strongly condemns persecution of lawyers and human rights defenders in occupied Crimea and demands that the Russian Federation government immediately cease (1) its unlawful suppression and obstruction of lawyer work and human rights activities; and (2) its use of Russia’s “anti-extremism and anti-terrorism” legislation in the occupied territory, in violation of international humanitarian law, in order to persecute individuals for their public, legal, and human rights activities.
We ask international organizations and governments of democratic states:
For further information, please contact:
Natalia Arno
President, Free Russia Foundation
[email protected]
+1 202 549 2417
This publication is the product of an initial effort undertaken by Free Russia Foundation in 2018 to stimulate public discussion of Russian scenarios, mitigate the likelihood of a bad surprise or missed opportunities, and support the country’s transition to a more positive future. More
It contains a set of twelve hypothetical evolutions for the political development of Russia through 2030, as well as analyses of key factors driving each future.
The report aims to shed light on key factors and early indicators bearing on the direction and specific content of Russia’s development (including continuity options); help evaluate the likelihood of each scenario and its significance for international security; and assist in developing a strategy for weighing and balancing risks associated with each scenario.
