The UK Foreign Secretary, David Cameron, has demanded that Russia provide clear information regarding the whereabouts of jailed opposition figure Vladimir Kara-Murza.

The Russian-British national, convicted of treason for criticizing the war in Ukraine, has reportedly been removed from a prison in Siberia, raising concerns about the lack of transparency in Russian prison transfers.

Lord Cameron emphasized the urgency for Russia to inform Kara-Murza's lawyers about his location, expressing deep concern for the British national imprisoned in Russia. On X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, he stated, "I'm deeply concerned for Mr. Kara-Murza - a British national imprisoned in Russia for speaking out against the invasion of Ukraine."

Kara-Murza's wife, Evgenia Kara-Murza, revealed that she learned about her husband's removal from a punishment cell in the penal colony where he had been held since September 2023. She expressed fear, noting that there were no grounds for his transfer and citing previous attempts on his life in 2015 and 2017 when he survived poisoning incidents.

"I demand that the Russian government provide us with information about my husband's whereabouts," she insisted, echoing Lord Cameron's call for transparency. The foreign secretary added, "I stand with his wife."

In April, Kara-Murza was sentenced to 25 years for spreading "false" information about the Russian army and alleged affiliation with an "undesirable organization." The 42-year-old former journalist and politician, who has consistently spoken out against Russian President Vladimir Putin and criticized the government's crackdown on dissent and the war in Ukraine, denied all charges.

Before his sentencing, Kara-Murza had expressed hope for a brighter future for his country, stating, "I know that the day will come when the darkness engulfing our country will clear." The British government condemned his sentence, summoning Russia's ambassador and expressing intent to explore measures to hold those involved in his detention and mistreatment accountable.

The U.S. State Department characterized Kara-Murza as "yet another target of the Russian government's escalating campaign of repression." Coming from a well-known Soviet dissident family, Kara-Murza obtained British citizenship when he moved to the UK as a teenager.

The situation is reminiscent of the lack of communication during the transfer of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny within the penal system in December, where there was no contact with his supporters for nearly three weeks. The mysterious nature of Russian prison transfers remains a cause for international concern. Photo by Mykola Swarnyk, Wikimedia commons.