Freed Russian dissidents say they refuse to sign amnesty petition

Two Russian dissidents released in a prisoner swap on Thursday said they refused to sign a clemency petition sent to Russian President Vladimir Putin as requested by prison officials.

At a press conference in Germany, Vladimir Kara-Murza and Ilya Yashin said they did not admit guilt or agree to let the Russian officials leave, and vowed to return home one day.

Mr Kara-Murza said the deal had saved “16 lives” and he was confident he would die in prison.

Many Russians “oppose Putin’s war in Ukraine,” he added.

The two men were released as part of a prisoner swap that included 24 people held in seven different countries.

Those released by Russia include American journalist Evan Gerschkovich and former Marine Paul Whelan.

Among the Russians released by Western countries is convicted assassin Vadim Krasikov, who is serving a life sentence in Germany for killing a Chechen dissident of Georgian origin in a Berlin park.

On Friday, Mr. Kara-Murza and Mr. Yashin, along with another dissident, Andrei Pivovarov, pledged to continue working toward a “free” Russia and fight for political prisoners still held there.

Russia’s Memorial human rights organization says there are currently hundreds of political prisoners being held in prison.

“I didn’t believe I would see my wife again. I didn’t believe I would see my family again and it was really surreal, like in the movies,” said Mr Kara-Murza.

However, he added that the exchange was “just a drop in the bucket because many innocent people who have never committed a crime in their lives are being held under torture conditions” in Russia.

The freed dissidents also paid tribute to Putin critic Alexei Navalny, who died in prison in February.

The White House said Thursday that Mr Navalny would be included in the deal.

“The fact that Alexei Navalny is not with us is a crime committed by Putin, who is directly responsible for his assassination,” Mr Yashin said.

Mr Kara-Murza said he wanted to “remind people in democratic countries that Russia and Putin are not one and the same”.