[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 96 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

114th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 96

    Condemning the murder of Boris Nemtsov, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 4, 2015

    Mr. McCain (for himself and Mr. Graham) submitted the following 
  resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
    Condemning the murder of Boris Nemtsov, and for other purposes.

Whereas, on February 27, 2015, Russian opposition leader and former deputy prime 
        minister Boris Nemtsov was brutally murdered in the shadow of the 
        Kremlin in Russia's capitol city Moscow;
Whereas Mr. Nemtsov was a man of conviction and principle who dedicated his life 
        to the fight against corruption in Russia and sought to advance 
        democracy, human rights, free speech, free market reforms, and the rule 
        of law throughout his life;
Whereas in December 2011, Mr. Nemtsov helped mobilize the largest anti-Kremlin 
        demonstrations since the early 1990s, leading tens of thousands of 
        Russians to march in protest of widespread fraud and corruption in the 
        parliamentary elections;
Whereas the Government of the Russian Federation responded by passing a series 
        of harsh laws that vastly expanded the definition of treason, increased 
        government control over the media, and limited the scope and activities 
        of opposition parties and civil society organizations;
Whereas Russian authorities exploit these laws for their own political ends and 
        use them to intimidate members of the opposition, human rights 
        activists, and others with whom they disagree;
Whereas Mr. Nemtsov strongly opposed these and other repressive measures, and 
        expressed concerns that President Vladimir Putin's policies were 
        threatening democracy and rule of law in Russia;
Whereas Mr. Nemtsov strongly criticized Russia's annexation of Crimea and 
        military activities in eastern Ukraine, blaming President Putin for a 
        ``mad, aggressive and deadly policy of war against Ukraine'' and lying 
        to the Russian people about this policy;
Whereas Mr. Nemtsov had been investigating Russia's role in Ukraine and was 
        preparing to release an investigative report conclusively proving the 
        participation of the Russian Armed Forces in the invasion of Ukraine and 
        revealing the extent to which the Government of the Russian Federation 
        was involved;
Whereas, prior to his death, Mr. Nemtsov planned to lead a Spring March on March 
        1, 2015, to protest the Russian military's presence in Ukraine;
Whereas, on February 28, 2015, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko stated that 
        he believed Mr. Nemtsov had been murdered because he planned to disclose 
        this evidence of Russia's involvement in Ukraine;
Whereas President Putin called critics of his government ``a fifth column'' and 
        ``national traitors'', inviting violent attacks upon them and sponsoring 
        a campaign of hatred, intimidation, and aggression;
Whereas, on February 20, 2015, a new movement called Anti-Maidan marched freely 
        through Moscow calling for violence against this ``fifth column'', with 
        signs naming Mr. Nemtsov as an enemy of Russia;
Whereas Mr. Nemtsov's colleagues stated that he was under state surveillance 
        shortly before his murder and he was murdered in one of the most heavily 
        secured areas of Moscow, suggesting the Government of Russia's 
        culpability;
Whereas other prominent figures in Russia who have criticized President Putin 
        and his government have also been assassinated, including Vladimir 
        Golovlyov, Yuri Shchekochikhin, Anna Politkovskaya, Alexander 
        Litvinenko, Magomed Yevloyev, Stanslav Markelov, and Natalia 
        Estermirova;
Whereas none of the individuals responsible for these assassinations have been 
        brought to justice, raising serious questions about the ability of 
        Russian authorities to conduct a credible investigation into Mr. 
        Nemtsov's murder;
Whereas a culture of impunity and lack of accountability prevail in Putin's 
        Russia, with law enforcement, judicial, and investigative bodies often 
        used to target political opponents and civil society, and thus lacking 
        credibility to conduct an investigation themselves;
Whereas the Russia Investigative Committee released a list of motives for Mr. 
        Nemtsov's murder which do not take into account his role as a prominent 
        government critic, surveillance cameras were allegedly turned off for 
        maintenance during the time of his murder, and Kremlin-sponsored 
        channels are inciting fear and hatred by propagating conspiracy theories 
        that blame the United States for his assassination;
Whereas these continuing assassinations are intended to intimidate the people of 
        Russia and undermine political and social reform in the Russian 
        Federation; and
Whereas support for rule of law and human rights in the Russian Federation will 
        help ensure its future as a free, strong, and vibrant society and 
        enduring stability in the Russian Federation will come from an active 
        civil society in which democracy flourishes: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) recognizes the courageous work of Boris Nemtsov, a 
        tireless advocate for reform and human rights who sacrificed 
        his life in the fight for freedom and democracy in the Russian 
        Federation;
            (2) expresses its deepest condolences to the family, 
        friends, and colleagues of Mr. Nemtsov, as well as to all the 
        people of Russia;
            (3) condemns, in the strongest possible terms, the murder 
        of Boris Nemtsov on February 27, 2015, as well as the 
        assassinations of numerous other human rights and democracy 
        activists in the Russian Federation since President Vladimir 
        Putin came to office;
            (4) urges the President to seek a United Nations Security 
        Council resolution that establishes an independent 
        investigation into the assassination;
            (5) calls upon the Government of Russia to support and 
        facilitate an independent inquiry into the murder of Mr. 
        Nemtsov;
            (6) urges the Government of the Russian Federation to 
        release all political prisoners and to end the ongoing 
        harassment of political opponents, human rights activists, and 
        journalists;
            (7) calls for the restoration of an independent judiciary 
        and the rule of law in the Russian Federation, and an end to 
        all restrictions on the media and freedom of speech;
            (8) urges the President to add the names of persons that 
        Mr. Nemtsov requested be added to the visa ban list as provided 
        for under the Sergei Manitsky Rule of Law Accountability Act of 
        2012 (title IV of Public Law 112-208) and continue to sanction 
        human rights violators in the Russian Federation;
            (9) urges the Organization for Security and Cooperation in 
        Europe (OSCE) to obtain, examine, and publish the investigative 
        report Mr. Nemtsov planned to release as part of the OSCE 
        observer role in eastern Ukraine to demonstrate the inability 
        of the Government of the Russian Federation to suppress the 
        truth Mr. Nemtsov represented; and
            (10) urges the President to significantly increase United 
        States Government support to like-minded partners and human 
        rights activists in the Russian Federation to create a more 
        vibrant civil society and open media environment in which 
        democracy can flourish.
                                 <all>