Russian Opposition Leader Vladimir Kara-Murza Calls for Transparency in Post-Putin Russia

At a recent lecture hosted by Stanford University's Freeman Spogli Institute, Russian opposition leader Vladimir Kara-Murza, who will be honored as the Guardian of Democracy at The World Forum on March 18–19, 2025, in Berlin, and who will lead the panel discussion on "Russia after Putin," emphasized the urgent need for transparency and accountability in shaping Russia's democratic future. Reflecting on the country's transition in the 1990s, Kara-Murza critiqued the failure to address past injustices, arguing that this failure paved the way for Vladimir Putin's autocratic rule. Released from prison in a landmark U.S.-German-negotiated exchange, also facilitated by the Cinema for Peace Foundation, Kara-Murza urged international support for a post-Putin Russia reintegrating into a rules-based global order. “There will be another chance for change,” he declared, advocating for justice, democracy, and reconciliation.