Freed Russian dissidents say they refused to signal clemency petition

Two Russian dissidents launched in a prisoner swap on Thursday mentioned they refused to signal a clemency petition that jail officers had requested to be despatched to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

At a press convention in Germany, Vladimir Kara-Murza and Ilya Yashin mentioned they didn’t admit guilt or agree with the expulsion of Russian officers and vowed to return someday.

Mr Kara-Murza mentioned the deal had saved “16 lives” and that he had been satisfied he would die in jail.

He added that many Russians “oppose Putin’s struggle in Ukraine.”

Two males had been launched as a part of an trade by which 24 prisoners from seven completely different nations had been exchanged.

These launched by Russia embrace American journalist Alvin Gershkovich and former Marine Paul Whelan.

Russians launched by Western nations embrace convicted murderer Vadim Krasikov, who’s serving a life sentence in Germany for killing a Georgian-born Chechen dissident in a Berlin park.

On Friday, Mr Karamurza and Mr Yashin, together with one other dissident Andrei Pivovarov, pledged to proceed working in the direction of a “free” Russia and to talk out for the political prisoners nonetheless held there. .

The Russian human rights group “Memorial” mentioned that a whole lot of political prisoners are presently in jail.

“I do not imagine I’ll see my spouse once more. I do not imagine I’ll see my household once more, it feels actually surreal, it seems like a film,” Mr Karamurza mentioned.

Nonetheless, he added that the trade “is only a drop within the ocean, as many harmless individuals who have by no means dedicated a criminal offense of their lives are being held in torture circumstances in Russia”.

The freed dissidents additionally paid tribute to Alexei Navalny, a Putin critic who died in jail in February.

The White Home mentioned Thursday that Navalny ought to have been included in a deal.

“Alexei Navalny is not with us, this can be a crime dedicated by Putin and he’s straight liable for his homicide,” Yassin mentioned.

Karamurza mentioned he wished to “remind folks in democracies that Russia and Putin usually are not the identical factor.”