Does my hon. Friend agree that the murder of Alexei Navalny, following the earlier murder of Boris Nemtsov, shows the absolute refusal of Putin to tolerate any kind of genuine democratic opposition? Will the Government therefore give absolutely no credibility or recognition to the sham pretence that the so-called presidential election taking place next month in Russia will undoubtedly be?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Leo Docherty Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n My right hon. Friend speaks on the basis of knowledge, and he is entirely right about the sham election that will take place on 12 March. The murders of which he has spoken do show a terrible pattern, but as I said earlier, we should not feel that repressive government is an inevitability in Russia. The Russian people have a hope that there can be a different Government, and that is why Mr Navalny\u2019s message was received so well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sir John is pictured making the above statement in the House<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Sir John later had a meeting (pictured below) with Evgeniya Kara-Murza, wife of Vladimir Kara-Murza, and his mother, Elena Gordon. Vladimir Kara-Murza is now the best known political prisoner in Russia and is also a British citizen. Having twice survived poisoning, Vladimir Kara-Murza was sentenced to prison in April 2022 and is serving a sentence of 25 years in Siberia. Sir John has pressed the Government to do everything possible to bring pressure on Russia to secure his release.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To find out more about the life Mr Kara-Murza please follow the link below:<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.johnwhittingdale.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Navalny-contribution-1.png\")
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