[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 44 (Tuesday, March 12, 2019)]
[House]
[Pages H2657-H2660]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1230
 CALLING FOR ACCOUNTABILITY AND JUSTICE FOR THE ASSASSINATION OF BORIS 
                                NEMTSOV

  Mr. ENGEL. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to 
the resolution (H. Res. 156) calling for accountability and justice for 
the assassination of Boris Nemtsov, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
  The text of the resolution is as follows:

                              H. Res. 156

       Whereas Boris Nemtsov was a Russian statesman who, over 25 
     years of public service, served as a Member of Parliament, 
     Governor of the Nizhny Novgorod Region, and First Deputy 
     Prime Minister of Russia;
       Whereas throughout his life, Boris Nemtsov showed an 
     unwavering commitment to the ideals of democracy, freedom, 
     and the rule of law, and to upholding the rights and dignity 
     of Russian citizens;
       Whereas Boris Nemtsov was a powerful voice in opposition to 
     the authoritarianism and corruption of Vladimir Putin's 
     government, publicizing its abuses, leading street protests 
     against election fraud and the war on Ukraine, and 
     successfully advocating for international sanctions on human 
     rights violators;
       Whereas Boris Nemtsov was co-chairman of a leading 
     opposition party, won election to the Yaroslavl Regional Duma 
     in 2013, and was planning to run for the Russian Parliament 
     in 2016 and challenge Vladimir Putin for the Presidency in 
     2018;
       Whereas, on the evening of February 27, 2015, Boris Nemtsov 
     was shot in the back and killed as he walked across Bolshoi 
     Moskvoretsky Bridge near the Kremlin in Moscow;
       Whereas, on March 7 and 8, 2015, Russian authorities 
     arrested five individuals, all of them natives of the Chechen 
     Republic, on suspicion of carrying out the assassination, 
     while a sixth suspect allegedly blew himself up during the 
     attempted arrest;
       Whereas the defendants were tried at the Moscow District 
     Military Court, which on June 29, 2017, found them guilty of 
     carrying out the assassination of Boris Nemtsov, and on July 
     13, 2017, sentenced them to different prison terms;
       Whereas at the time of the assassination, the now-convicted 
     gunman, Zaur Dadayev, was serving as a Lieutenant in the 
     Internal Troops of the Interior Ministry of the Russian 
     Federation and as Deputy Battalion Commander in the ``Sever'' 
     (``North'') Regiment stationed in the Chechen Republic, under 
     the command of the Internal Troops Commander, General Viktor 
     Zolotov, and the Kremlin-backed head of the Chechen Republic, 
     Ramzan Kadyrov;
       Whereas Ramzan Kadyrov has called Lieutenant Zaur Dadayev a 
     ``true patriot'' and has publicly referred to Boris Nemtsov 
     as an ``enemy of Russia'';

[[Page H2658]]

       Whereas by Decree No. 115 issued on March 8, 2015, 
     President Vladimir Putin awarded Ramzan Kadyrov the Order of 
     Honor;
       Whereas according to reports published in the 
     RosBusinessConsulting (RBC) newspaper on January 20, 2016, 
     General Alexander Bastrykin, chairman of the Investigative 
     Committee of the Russian Federation, has on two occasions 
     prevented investigators from indicting Major Ruslan 
     Geremeyev, Battalion Commander in the ``Sever'' (``North'') 
     Regiment of the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal 
     Affairs of the Russian Federation stationed in the Chechen 
     Republic and a close associate of Ramzan Kadyrov and Russian 
     State Duma Member Adam Delimkhanov, as an organizer in the 
     assassination;
       Whereas according to reports published in Novaya Gazeta 
     newspaper on December 9, 2016, operatives of the Federal 
     Security Service of the Russian Federation in the Chechen 
     Republic have failed to serve Major Ruslan Geremeyev with a 
     summons for questioning as a witness, reporting to their 
     superiors that on the sole occasion they attempted to do so, 
     ``nobody opened the door'';
       Whereas despite requests from the legal team representing 
     Boris Nemtsov's family, the Investigative Committee of the 
     Russian Federation and the Moscow District Military Court 
     have refused to question high-ranking persons of interest, 
     including Ramzan Kadyrov, General Victor Zolotov, and Adam 
     Delimkhanov;
       Whereas the Investigative Committee of the Russian 
     Federation has, to this day, not issued any indictments 
     against the organizers or masterminds of the assassination of 
     Boris Nemtsov, with the exception of Major Ruslan Geremeyev's 
     driver, Ruslan Mukhudinov, who is named alongside ``other 
     unidentified persons'';
       Whereas the Investigative Committee of the Russian 
     Federation and the Moscow District Military Court have 
     refused to classify the assassination of Boris Nemtsov under 
     Article 277 of the Criminal Code as ``encroachment on the 
     life of a statesman or a public figure,'' choosing instead 
     Article 105 that deals with common domestic murders;
       Whereas throughout the proceedings at the Moscow District 
     Military Court, the judge repeatedly disallowed questions 
     relating to political motives behind the assassination;
       Whereas the Federal Protective Service of the Russian 
     Federation has refused to release video footage from the 
     security cameras on Bolshoi Moskvoretsky Bridge from the 
     night of the assassination, claiming in a letter to State 
     Duma Member Dmitry Gudkov on November 6, 2015, that the 
     bridge next to the Kremlin is ``not a protected object'';
       Whereas, on May 18, 2017, the Parliamentary Assembly of the 
     Council of Europe appointed Lithuanian Member of Parliament 
     Emanuelis Zingeris as its special rapporteur on the need to 
     shed light on the background of the murder of Boris Nemtsov, 
     with a mandate to review and report on the case and on the 
     progress of the official Russian investigation;
       Whereas, on May 24, 2018, the Russian Foreign Ministry 
     informed Emanuelis Zingeris that he is forbidden from 
     entering the Russian Federation;
       Whereas, at its 27th annual session held on July 7 through 
     11, 2018, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for 
     Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) adopted a 
     resolution urging Russian authorities to ``undertake a new, 
     full and thorough investigation into the February 2015 
     assassination of Boris Nemtsov'';
       Whereas, on July 8, 2018, the Parliamentary Assembly of the 
     Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe held a 
     public event to discuss the need for OSCE oversight of the 
     official Russian investigation into the assassination of 
     Boris Nemtsov;
       Whereas the United States and the Russian Federation are 
     full members of the Organization for Security and Cooperation 
     in Europe;
       Whereas the OSCE Moscow Document has established that 
     ``issues relating to human rights, fundamental freedoms, 
     democracy and the rule of law . . . are matters of direct and 
     legitimate concern to all participating States and do not 
     belong exclusively to the internal affairs of the State 
     concerned'';
       Whereas, on February 27, 2018, Washington, DC, designated 
     the street in front of the Embassy of the Russian Federation 
     as ``Boris Nemtsov Plaza'' to honor Mr. Nemtsov; and
       Whereas, on February 22, 2019, the President of the 
     Parliamentary Assembly of the OSCE, George Tsereteli, 
     appointed Swedish Member of Parliament and Vice President of 
     the Assembly Margareta Cederfelt as the rapporteur on the 
     investigation of the assassination of Boris Nemtsov, with a 
     mandate to review and report on the case and on the progress 
     of the official Russian investigation: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
       (1) condemns Vladimir Putin and his regime for targeting 
     political opponents and covering up the assassination of 
     Boris Nemtsov, a Russian opposition leader who worked to 
     advance democracy and human rights in Russia;
       (2) urges the United States Government, in all its 
     interactions with the Government of the Russian Federation, 
     to raise the case of the assassination of Boris Nemtsov and 
     underscore the necessity of bringing the organizers and 
     masterminds to justice;
       (3) supports the efforts by the Organization for Security 
     and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and its Parliamentary 
     Assembly to initiate oversight of the official Russian 
     investigation into the assassination of Boris Nemtsov;
       (4) calls on the Government of the Russian Federation to 
     allow an impartial international investigation of the 
     assassination of Boris Nemtsov and to cooperate with the 
     Parliamentary Assembly of the OSCE and the Parliamentary 
     Assembly of the Council of Europe in their ongoing inquiries 
     over this case;
       (5) calls on the Secretary of State and the Secretary of 
     the Treasury to use their authority under the Sergei 
     Magnitsky Rule of Law Accountability Act of 2012 (title IV of 
     Public Law 112-208) and the Global Magnitsky Human Rights 
     Accountability Act (subtitle F of title XII of Public Law 
     114-328) to designate individuals whom they determine to have 
     been involved in the assassination of Boris Nemtsov as 
     perpetrators, organizers, or masterminds, on the list of 
     specially designated nationals and blocked persons maintained 
     by the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the Department of 
     the Treasury, freezing their assets and making them 
     ineligible to receive United States visas;
       (6) calls on the Secretary of State, in consultation with 
     the Director of National Intelligence, to prepare and submit 
     to Congress a report detailing the circumstances of the 
     February 27, 2015, assassination of Boris Nemtsov, including 
     the list of individuals whom they determine to have been 
     involved in the assassination as perpetrators, organizers, or 
     masterminds, and identifying what measures, if any, have been 
     taken by the Government of the Russian Federation to 
     investigate this crime and bring its perpetrators, 
     organizers, and masterminds to justice, and evaluating the 
     effectiveness of such measures; and
       (7) urges the Secretary of State to take all possible steps 
     to--
       (A) investigate the business activities of Ramzan Kadyrov 
     and any entities controlled by Ramzan Kadyrov outside the 
     Russian Federation; and
       (B) determine whether any such activities, or any entities 
     facilitating such activities, are in violation of the 
     sanctions imposed on Ramzan Kadyrov pursuant to the 
     authorities provided by the Sergei Magnitsky Rule of Law 
     Accountability Act of 2012 (title IV of Public Law 112-208; 
     22 U.S.C. 5811 note).

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New 
York (Mr. Engel) and the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Kinzinger) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New York.


                             General Leave

  Mr. ENGEL. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and 
include extraneous material on H. Res. 156, as amended, a resolution 
calling for accountability and justice for the assassination of Boris 
Nemtsov, currently under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from New York?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. ENGEL. Madam Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may 
consume.
  Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution. I am 
proud to have authored this measure with the gentleman from Texas (Mr. 
McCaul), my colleague and the ranking member of the Foreign Affairs 
Committee. The measure before us today condemns the assassination of 
Boris Nemtsov.
  Nemtsov was a brave advocate for democracy in Russia, calling for 
free elections and an end to the massive corruption at the Kremlin. I 
remember when he visited here and I had him in my office. We took 
pictures. Just the other day, we were looking at them.
  He certainly was a champion of freedom in Russia and, for it, met his 
demise. The fact that he was calling for free elections and an end to 
the massive corruption in the Kremlin put him right in Vladimir Putin's 
crosshairs.
  Now, he joins a long list of brave journalists, human rights 
activists, and political opponents murdered by Putin's henchmen in 
their quest to silence all criticism of the Kremlin and stamp out any 
perceived threat to Putin's authoritarian regime.
  When I met Boris Nemtsov here in Washington in my office, he talked 
about his vision for Russia, free from Putin's grip on power, with 
open, fair elections, independent media, and a strong civil society. In 
the words of John McCain, Boris Nemtsov ``would not be oppressed by 
unjust laws or violence or by violence and fear . . . he lived for love 
and justice and truth.''
  He was incredibly brave to take on these issues in a country where 
opposition to Putin often amounts to a death sentence. Just a few 
months after our

[[Page H2659]]

conversation, as I mentioned before, he was murdered in cold blood in 
Moscow.
  Now, it has been 4 years since his death, but there has been no 
proper investigation of his assassination and the coverup and zero 
accountability for those responsible. That is certainly an outrage.
  This resolution condemns the Kremlin's systematic targeting of its 
political opponents and calls on the administration to impose sanctions 
on those responsible for Nemtsov's murder and coverup.
  It also requires the administration to deliver to Congress a thorough 
report on Nemtsov's assassination. That is a critical part of this 
legislation because, sadly, the administration, in my opinion, hasn't 
done nearly enough to stand up to Russia and call out Putin's thuggery.
  So it is up to Congress to assert American leadership on this issue. 
I strongly support this bipartisan, bicameral measure, and I urge my 
colleagues to do the same.
  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

                                      Committee on Ways and Means,


                                     House of Representatives,

                                   Washington, DC, March 11, 2019.
     Hon. Eliot L. Engel,
     Chairman, Committee on Foreign Affairs,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Chairman Engel: I am writing with respect to H. Res. 
     156, ``Calling for Accountability and Justice for the 
     Assassination of Boris Nemtsov.'' As a result of your having 
     consulted with us on provisions on which the Committee on 
     Ways and Means has a jurisdictional interest, I will not 
     request a sequential referral on this measure.
       The Committee on Ways and Means takes this action with the 
     mutual understanding that we do not waive any jurisdiction 
     over the subject matter contained in this or similar 
     legislation, and the Committee will be appropriately 
     consulted and involved as the bill or similar legislation 
     moves forward so that we may address any remaining issues 
     within our jurisdiction. The Committee also reserves the 
     right to seek appointment of an appropriate number of 
     conferees to any House-Senate conference involving this or 
     similar legislation, and request your support for such a 
     request.
       Finally, I would appreciate your response to this letter 
     confirming this understanding, and would ask that a copy of 
     our exchange of letters on this matter be included in the 
     Congressional Record during floor consideration of H. Res. 
     156.
           Sincerely,
                                                  Richard E. Neal,
     Chairman.
                                  ____

                                         House of Representatives,


                                 Committee on Foreign Affairs,

                                   Washington, DC, March 12, 2019.
     Hon. Richard E. Neal,
     Chairman, Committee on Ways and Means,
     House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
       Dear Mr. Chairman: Thank you for consulting with the 
     Foreign Affairs Committee on H. Res. 156, ``Calling for 
     Accountability and Justice for the Assassination of Boris 
     Nemtsov'' for agreeing to forgo a sequential referral request 
     so that the resolution may proceed expeditiously to the House 
     floor.
       I agree that your declining to pursue a referral in this 
     case does not diminish or alter the jurisdiction of the 
     Committee on Ways and Means nor prejudice its jurisdictional 
     prerogatives on this resolution or similar legislation in the 
     future. I would support your effort to seek appointment of an 
     appropriate number of conferees from your Committee over any 
     parts of this resolution or similar legislation under the 
     jurisdiction of the Committee on Ways and Means to any House-
     Senate conference.
       I will ensure that our exchange of letters is included in 
     the Congressional Record during floor consideration of the 
     resolution. I appreciate your cooperation regarding this 
     resolution and look forward to continuing to work with you as 
     this measure moves through the legislative process.
           Sincerely,
                                                   Eliot L. Engel,
                                                         Chairman.

  Mr. KINZINGER. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H. Res. 156, which I 
was proud to cosponsor, calling for justice in the 2015 murder of 
Russian opposition leader Boris Nemtsov.
  On the evening of Friday, February 27, 2015, Boris Nemtsov was shot 
in the back and killed by cowards just outside of the Kremlin in 
Moscow.
  Mr. Nemtsov was an important figure in Russia because he stood up to 
Vladimir Putin and the Russian Federation as he called for democracy in 
a country dominated by oppression.
  Before his assassination, Mr. Nemtsov was planning to run for 
President in 2018 against Vladimir Putin. One can only think of what 
Russia's future could have been today with Mr. Nemtsov as its leader.
  Since that day in February 2015, suspects have been charged and 
sentenced for murder, but we still don't have all the answers or truly 
know why Mr. Nemtsov was killed. However, we do know that there has 
never been any questioning of additional suspects or any investigation 
into evidence that the convicted gunman was a member of a Russian unit 
that was stationed and backed by Chechen dictator and thug Ramzan 
Kadyrov.
  Furthermore, Russia continues to put up roadblocks to outside 
investigators from the European Union and the OSCE to prevent more 
investigations into the sequence of events that fateful night. Four 
years after his murder, Boris Nemtsov and his family are still without 
answers or the justice that they deserve.
  The House resolution uses the voice of Congress to hold his killers 
and their accomplices accountable. Specifically, this resolution 
condemns the Putin regime for targeting political opponents and using 
the Russian Government to cover up the murder of Mr. Nemtsov. It also 
calls on the U.S. Government to use its capabilities to identify those 
who support the murderers and to impose strict sanctions for their 
actions.
  Last February, on the anniversary of his death, we saw a fitting 
tribute to Mr. Nemtsov's calls for freedom and democracy when the 
street in front of the Russian Embassy here in Washington was renamed 
the Boris Nemtsov Plaza. We can take another important step towards 
justice by passing this important resolution.
  I thank my colleagues on the other side of the aisle for bringing 
this up in such a bipartisan way.
  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. ENGEL. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New 
Jersey (Mr. Malinowski), who is a very new and valued member of the 
Foreign Affairs Committee.
  Mr. MALINOWSKI. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from New York 
(Mr. Engel), chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and I thank 
my friends on the other side for leading on this important resolution.
  When Boris Nemtsov was gunned down 4 years ago on a bridge just a few 
hundred feet from the Kremlin, we saw once again what a dangerous place 
Putin's Russia is for anybody with the courage to speak truth to power.
  We saw again that while Russia has fierce and formidable security 
agencies that will track down anyone who dares criticize the Kremlin 
anywhere in the world, when one of those critics is killed, somehow 
they can never find the killer.
  We know that whoever gave the order to kill Boris Nemtsov, one man, 
Vladimir Putin, is responsible for building a state where those who 
champion freedom are always punished and those who kill them never are.
  This resolution says that we will always remember Boris Nemtsov and 
the truth about what happened to him and who is responsible.
  It urges the Russian Government to hold accountable the authors of 
the crime and says that, until that happens, we will sanction them 
under the Magnitsky Act.
  It singles out Ramzan Kadyrov, the brutal ruler of Chechnya, and 
urges the administration to ensure that he can no longer do business 
anywhere outside Russia.
  By passing this resolution, we will make clear that you can kill a 
man but not the ideas that he fought for; that a good person who lived 
and died for a good cause will be honored for all time, while the 
people who killed him will go down in history, if they are remembered 
at all, as utterly worthless.
  And we will be saying something else very important: that the United 
States is not in conflict with Russia or with the Russian people. On 
the contrary, we are in solidarity with the vast majority of Russians, 
who, like Boris Nemtsov, want a country that is free of corruption, a 
country where nobody is above the law.
  Our argument is only with the leaders who deny them that, but those 
leaders won't be around forever. Boris Nemtsov's legacy will outlast 
them, and so will our desire to partner with the Russia that shares his 
values and vision.
  Mr. ENGEL. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. KINZINGER. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.

[[Page H2660]]

  Madam Speaker, in closing, I want to thank Chairman Engel and the 
ranking member, Mr. McCaul, for offering up this important resolution 
which seeks justice for Boris Nemtsov's brutal murder.
  At a time when we are seeing the Russian people protesting tighter 
restrictions on their access to the internet, we should not forget the 
brave leadership of Mr. Nemtsov, a man who stood up to the oppressors 
in Russia and advocated bravely for freedom. We should honor his memory 
by continuing to seek justice for his assassination.
  It is also important to note, Madam Speaker, the strong bipartisan 
showing in this Chamber of, really, any Russian resolution that comes 
up because we are united, as the prior speaker said, with the Russian 
people in fighting oppression, as we have for so long and we will 
continue to do.
  I urge all Members to support this legislation.
  Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. ENGEL. Madam Speaker, in closing, let me say, it is critical that 
we speak out against strong men and dictators throughout the world. We 
need to demand justice for those unable to do so themselves.

  As we have mentioned, Boris Nemtsov was brutally murdered for bravely 
standing up to Putin and his corrupt regime. The Kremlin is being 
complicit in covering up the assassination and failing to conduct a 
proper investigation.
  By passing this measure, we show Putin, his cronies, and dictators 
throughout the world that the U.S. Congress is watching, and we will 
not stay silent.
  Madam Speaker, I strongly support this resolution. I urge my 
colleagues to join me, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. Engel) that the House suspend the rules 
and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 156, as amended.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. ENGEL. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further 
proceedings on this motion will be postponed.

                          ____________________