Vladimir V. Kara-Murza
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Vladimir V. Kara-Murza (Russian: Владимир Владимирович Кара-Мурза) was born in Moscow in 1981. Studied in Great Britain at the John Lyon School in Harrow, graduated with First Class in History (B.A. Hons) from Cambridge University (Trinity Hall, 2003). Began journalistic career at the age of 16 – first, in 1997–2000, as the London correspondent of Russia's "Novye Izvestia" newspaper, then, in 2000–2003, as correspondent of "Kommersant" daily. In 2002 was editor-in-chief of the London-based financial publication "Russian Investment Review".
From 2000 until 2003 Kara-Murza was plenipotentiary representative of Russia's Union of Right Forces party in Great Britain, as well as adviser to the party leader Boris Nemtsov, with whom he co-authored several newspaper articles. In the 2003 Russian parliamentary election he contested the Chertanovo district in Moscow as the joint candidate of Union of Right Forces and Yabloko parties. During the election campaign Russia's state-controlled media were actively supporting the pro-government United Russia party. Kara-Murza came second out of 10 candidates, receiving 9% of the vote (23,800 votes) and ceding the Duma seat to United Russia candidate Vladimir Gruzdev.
In January 2004 along with several other opposition figures, including Boris Nemtsov, Vladimir Bukovsky and Garry Kasparov, co-founded the pro-democracy Committee 2008. In April 2004 became Washington DC bureau chief of RTVi television network.
In 2005 Vladimir V. Kara-Murza produced a four-part TV documentary, "They Chose Freedom", dedicated to the history of the Soviet dissident movement. The documentary was based on interviews with prominent Russian dissidents, including Vladimir Bukovsky, Elena Bonner and Sergei Kovalev. It was aired on RTVi in November 2005.
On October 20, 2005 Vladimir Kara-Murza was appointed plenipotentiary representative of the Union of Right Forces party in the United States by the new Union of Right Forces leader Nikita Belykh. Along with Yabloko's U.S. representative, Andrei Piontkovsky, he became co-chairman of the Union of Right Forces and Yabloko joint representative mission in the United States.
On February 16, 2006 the federal political council of the Union of Right Forces appointed Vladimir Kara-Murza to the newly-established Commission on the Unification of Democratic Forces, chaired by Boris Nemtsov. Other members of the Commission include former Duma deputy Boris Nadezhdin and "Liberal Mission" foundation president Yevgeny Yasin.
Vladimir V. Kara-Murza is married with one daughter. He is the son of Vladimir A. Kara-Murza.
