NED is honoring Evgenia Kara-Murza with the Democracy Service Medal for her international advocacy on behalf of all political prisoners, their families, and those who believe in a democratic Russia.
Evgenia Kara-Murza is a Russian human rights activist and the advocacy director of the Free Russia Foundation (FRF). She is also chair of the 30th of October Foundation, an organization that provides help to Russian political prisoners and their families. Kara-Murza spearheads FRF’s efforts in public diplomacy and global outreach on behalf of Russian civil society. She engages multilateral oversight mechanisms to hold the Russian government accountable for violating its international commitments on human rights, democracy, and the rule of law, and establishing personal accountability for Kremlin officials complicit in corruption and human rights abuses. She is part of FRF’s global campaign for solidarity with Russian anti-war and pro-democracy activists both inside and outside of the country and is a voice for political prisoners in the Russian Federation. Kara-Murza was born in Russia’s Far East, graduated with honors from the Moscow State Linguistic University, and worked as a translator and interpreter for pro-democracy NGOs such as the International Center on Nonviolent Conflict, the Institute of Modern Russia, and Pen America.
