Vladimir Kara-Murza to Receive 2025 Wallenberg Medal at U-M Event

Vladimir Kara-Murza to Be Honored with University of Michigan’s Wallenberg Medal

Renowned Russian politician and activist Vladimir Kara-Murza is set to receive the prestigious 2025 Wallenberg Medal at the University of Michigan. The award ceremony will take place at 4:30 p.m. on November 4 at Rackham Auditorium, where Kara-Murza will deliver the 30th Wallenberg Lecture.

The lecture, titled “Free People in an Unfree Country: Standing Up to Kremlin Tyranny, Past and Present,” will focus on Kara-Murza’s personal experiences and insight into the impact one individual can have in advocating for change. This tradition of sharing personal journeys aligns with the Wallenberg Lecture’s goals, emphasizing how actions and commitment can uphold human rights and values.

The Wallenberg Medal is awarded under the Donia Human Rights Center’s auspices, honoring those whose actions reflect Raoul Wallenberg’s enduring legacy of standing up for the defenseless and giving a voice to the voiceless. Kara-Murza’s career embodies these principles through his relentless fight for freedom and transparency in Russia.

A former deputy leader of the People’s Freedom Party and a Russian Parliament candidate, Kara-Murza has been a pivotal figure in diplomatic efforts, resulting in the implementation of Magnitsky sanctions by nations such as the United States, United Kingdom, and European Union. These sanctions target individuals implicated in human rights abuses or corruption.

Kara-Murza’s activism has come at great personal cost. He survived two poisoning attempts, attributed to the Russian Federal Security Services, as revealed by a joint investigation by Bellingcat, The Insider, and Der Spiegel. In 2022, he was arrested in Moscow for condemning the invasion of Ukraine, subsequently receiving a 25-year sentence for “high treason” during a secretive trial in Moscow City Court. He remained in solitary confinement until his release in August 2024, part of a major prisoner exchange negotiated by the U.S. and Germany.

A prolific writer, Kara-Murza is a contributor to The Washington Post, where he won the 2024 Pulitzer Prize for his columns from prison. His media career includes roles at Echo of Moscow, BBC, and other notable outlets. Beyond journalism, he has directed documentaries and authored books concerning Russian politics and history.

Kara-Murza holds key positions at organizations advocating for human rights, such as vice president at the Free Russia Foundation and senior adviser at Human Rights First. He was also instrumental in establishing the Boris Nemtsov Foundation for Freedom.

His academic credentials include an MA in History from Cambridge, and he is an honorary fellow at Trinity Hall, Cambridge. Recently, Kara-Murza embarked on a new role at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service as the Center for Eurasian, Russian, and East European Studies’ first Dissident-in-Residence.

Over the years, the Wallenberg Medal has been awarded to influential figures like Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Elie Wiesel, with recent honorees including environmental activist Nnimmo Bassey and journalist Safa Al Ahmad, continuing the legacy of recognizing individuals committed to social justice.