Russian Political Prisoner Vladimir Kara-Murza Should Receive Honorary Canadian Citizenship

On June 14, 2023, Senator Omidvar spoke in support of the motion that the Senate bestow the title “honorary Canadian citizen” on Russian political prisoner Vladimir Kara-Murza and call for his immediate release. Watch:

Hon. Ratna Omidvar: Honourable senators, as the co-chair of the all-party group for Vladimir Kara-Murza, which I chair with former Attorney General of Canada, human rights champion and chair of the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights, Irwin Cotler, I rise today in support of Senator Dalphond’s motion to confer honorary Canadian citizenship on Vladimir Kara-Murza. Members from all parties and all groups across Parliament are members of our group, proving yet again that when a cause is compelling, we can put aside our political differences to come together and do the right thing. Thank you, Senator Dalphond, for helping us to do the right thing in this chamber.

Vladimir Kara-Murza is an opposition leader, human rights champion, former journalist and now a political prisoner in Russia. In a sham trial last year, he was sentenced to 25 years in prison. This is the longest sentence given to a political dissident since Stalin’s time in Russia. Think of that, senators: the Russian regime is not going forward to democracy and progress, but is going backwards, indeed, to a dark past.

For many years, Vladimir Kara-Murza risked his life to follow his ideals and to fight for a free Russia. He was a close associate of the late Boris Nemtsov, an opposition politician, and has worked tirelessly to promote democratic reforms in Russia. He has been involved in organizing protests and advocating for political change, often risking facing significant risks and personal threats. For this, he was almost fatally poisoned twice, in 2015 and 2017, because of his advocacy work. Despite these challenges, he continues to be a prominent, loud voice for democracy and human rights in Russia.

Honourable senators, as Senator Dalphond pointed out, he was key — in fact, he was a central player — in bringing Magnitsky sanctions not just to Canada but, indeed, to the rest of the world. He has appeared numerous times in Parliament on the need for the act, and has pushed us to better hold corrupt foreign officials to account.

By bestowing honorary citizenship on Mr. Kara-Murza, we can shine a light on him, his ideals and his journey and, in addition, shine the light on the 400 other political prisoners in Russia.

I hope we can all appreciate that, in the end, only Russians themselves will free Russia. Putin fears no one more than Vladimir Kara-Murza, because he is the voice that Russians are listening to.

By bestowing honorary citizenship on him — and we have done that very seldomly, as Senator Dalphond pointed out. I think, in total, we have conferred honorary citizenship on seven people. We have revoked the citizenship in this chamber of Aung San Suu Kyi, but we have been responsible and acted in bestowing the highest of Canadian honours — because this is not a real citizenship, it is an honorary one — on those who represent our ideals in many ways. It would also help Mr. Kara-Murza, who is in very poor health, to know that he is not alone, that he is cared for in other parts of world and that his actions and bravery are not in vain.

I will close by quoting Vladimir Kara-Murza himself who says: “The night, as you know, is darkest just before the light.” I believe that, by bestowing honorary citizenship, we can provide that light to him and his colleagues in prison in these dark times — for him, for his family and for the citizens of Russia oppressed by this regime. Thank you, colleagues.