Russian activist leaves Russia for treatment after suspected poisoning

Russian activist Vladimir Kara-Murza left the country Sunday for treatment at an undisclosed location after a second suspected poisoning, his attorney said. Photo by Leonid Alekseev/Wikimedia Commons.

Feb. 19 (UPI) — Russian activist Vladimir Kara-Murza, who fell into a coma after a second suspected poisoning in less than two years, has left the country for further treatment, his lawyer said Sunday.

Kara-Murza, an outspoken critic of President Vladimir Putin, regained consciousness last week after being hospitalized in Moscow on Feb. 3.

“This morning, Vladimir Kara-Murza flew abroad with his wife Evgenia Kara-Murza, accompanied by physician to undergo a rehabilitation course after repeated severe poisoning,” reads a Facebook statement posted by Kara-Murza’s lawyer, Vadim Prokhorov.

Prokhorov did not reveal his client’s destination.

“The diagnosis in the discharge summary is the same — ‘toxic effects of unknown substances,’ ” Prokhorov said.

He was on life support and in a coma. His system was cleansed by hemodialysis, and on Wednesday his wife Evgenia told ABC News he emerged from the coma.

Kara-Murza, 35, also fell into a coma in late May 2015 after a suspected poisoning and suffered acute kidney failure.

Kara-Murza, who lives part time in Virginia with his wife and three children, was stricken the second time while in Russia to promote a documentary on the assassination of his friend, the former leading opposition figure Boris Nemtsov.

He works for the pro-democracy group Open Russia, which seeks open elections, a free press and civil rights reforms. He has appeared before U.S. Congressional committees, calling for sanctions on Russia for human rights abuses.

Kara-Murza will still pursue “the restoration of democracy in Russia,” his attorney said.

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