[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 385 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 385

Calling for the immediate release of Evan Gershkovich, a United States 
 citizen and journalist, who was wrongfully detained by the Government 
                of the Russian Federation in March 2023.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

           September 28 (legislative day, September 22), 2023

    Mr. Risch (for himself, Mr. Cardin, Mr. Tillis, Mr. Booker, Mr. 
     Cassidy, Mrs. Shaheen, Mr. Crapo, Mr. Kaine, Ms. Collins, Mr. 
  Hickenlooper, Mr. Scott of Florida, Mr. Casey, Mr. Cornyn, Mr. Van 
 Hollen, Mr. Romney, Mr. Warner, Mr. Hoeven, Mrs. Capito, Mr. Graham, 
 Mr. Wicker, Mr. Ricketts, Mr. Scott of South Carolina, Mr. Young, Mr. 
    Rubio, Mr. Cruz, Mr. Sullivan, and Mr. Lankford) submitted the 
 following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign 
                               Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
Calling for the immediate release of Evan Gershkovich, a United States 
 citizen and journalist, who was wrongfully detained by the Government 
                of the Russian Federation in March 2023.

Whereas United States citizen Evan Gershkovich is a journalist for the Wall 
        Street Journal;
Whereas Evan Gershkovich is an accredited reporter, with a history of working in 
        Russia for the Moscow Times, Agence France-Presse, and the Wall Street 
        Journal;
Whereas Evan Gershkovich is known to his family, friends, and colleagues as 
        someone who is adventurous, curious, and who has an abiding love for 
        Russia and its people;
Whereas Evan Gershkovich, a trailblazing and intrepid journalist, actively 
        reported on stories across Russia, including the vast wildfires across 
        Siberia, the COVID-19 pandemic, the Russian economy, and the Government 
        of the Russian Federation's unlawful invasion of Ukraine;
Whereas, on March 29, 2023, Evan Gershkovich was arrested in Yekaterinburg while 
        reporting on behalf of the Wall Street Journal;
Whereas, on April 7, 2023, the Government of the Russian Federation charged Evan 
        Gershkovich with espionage;
Whereas the Government of the Russian Federation has failed to publicly provide 
        evidence of Evan Gershkovich's criminal action to credibly render a 
        charge of espionage;
Whereas the last time an American journalist was detained on allegations of 
        espionage in Russia was in 1986 during the era of the Soviet Union;
Whereas, on April 10, 2023, Secretary of State Antony Blinken designated Evan 
        Gershkovich wrongfully detained by the Government of the Russian 
        Federation; and
Whereas, on April 17, 2023, the United States was joined by 46 United Nations 
        Member States in a joint statement expressing deep concern over the 
        detention of Evan Gershkovich by the Government of the Russian 
        Federation: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) calls on the Government of the Russian Federation to 
        immediately release Evan Gershkovich, who has been wrongfully 
        detained since March 2023;
            (2) urges all United States executive branch officials, 
        including President Joseph R. Biden, Secretary of State Antony 
        Blinken, and Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs 
        Roger D. Carstens, to raise the case of Evan Gershkovich and to 
        press for his immediate release in all interactions with the 
        Government of the Russian Federation;
            (3) urges the Government of the Russian Federation to 
        provide full, unfettered, and consistent consular access, in 
        accordance with its international obligations, to Evan 
        Gershkovich while he remains in detention;
            (4) urges the Government of the Russian Federation to 
        respect the human rights of Evan Gershkovich;
            (5) urges the Government of the Russian Federation to 
        respect the rights of accredited journalists to freely and 
        independently report the news without fear of arbitrary 
        detention or reprisal;
            (6) urges the Government of the Russian Federation to 
        desist from detaining, imprisoning, and otherwise seeking to 
        intimidate journalists in order to curtail or censor an 
        independent press;
            (7) condemns the Government of the Russian Federation's 
        continued use of detentions and prosecutions of United States 
        citizens and lawful permanent residents for political purposes;
            (8) calls for the immediate release of Paul Whelan, who has 
        been wrongfully detained in Russia since December 2018;
            (9) expresses continued support for all American citizens 
        and lawful permanent residents detained in Russia and abroad, 
        including Marc Fogel, who faces a politicized, excessive 
        sentence for his alleged offense, Vladimir Kara-Murza, who has 
        endured multiple attempts on his life and years of persecution 
        by the Putin regime, and others; and
            (10) expresses sympathy for and solidarity with the 
        families of Evan Gershkovich, Paul Whelan, and all other 
        American citizens and lawful permanent residents wrongfully 
        detained abroad for the personal hardship experienced as a 
        result of the arbitrary and baseless arrest and detention of 
        their loved ones.
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