[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 56 (Thursday, March 25, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1840-S1841]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             ALEXEI NAVALNY

  Mr. WICKER. Madam President, I rise this afternoon to call attention 
to a courageous Russian hero who is in danger even as I speak. He is a 
man who has consistently stood up to Vladimir Putin and his cronies and 
has, on numerous occasions, placed his own life in jeopardy to bring 
the truth to light. The lawless thugs in the Kremlin often avoid saying 
his name in public, but here on the Senate floor, I am proud to stand 
in solidarity with Alexei Navalny.
  It was just last August that Alexei Navalny, Russia's foremost 
opposition leader, was poisoned with a deadly nerve agent. Millions of 
us remember seeing the video of his being stricken on an airplane and 
hearing his painful cries, the crew members unsure how to soothe his 
pain. Thanks to the quick diplomatic work of our friends in Germany, 
Mr. Navalny was evacuated to Berlin, where he received expert medical 
attention and, against all odds, recovered from this poisoning.
  An ordinary man would have stayed safe and very far away from the 
Kremlin, but Alexei Navalny is no ordinary man. He is a Russian patriot 
who envisions a different kind of Russia, one where citizens have a say 
in government, where freedom blooms, and where the President does not 
siphon away funds intended for hospitals in order to build secret 
palaces or to enrich members of his kleptocracy.
  So, 3 months ago, Mr. Navalny returned to Russia, knowing full well 
the dangers he would face. Immediately upon his arrival, he was 
arrested at the airport for a parole violation, which resulted from his 
hospitalization, which resulted from his poisoning. He now sits in one 
of the most notorious penal colonies in Russia, known for its 
psychological torture. He has been deemed a flight risk and is awakened 
eight times a night under the guise of monitoring his whereabouts. His 
lawyers were recently prevented from seeing him. Reports are that he is 
suffering from severe back pain and other health

[[Page S1841]]

concerns and has received inadequate medical care.
  This is a familiar sounding story, but one thing is clear: The 
Russian dictatorship is terrified of Alexei Navalny. He is a threat to 
them because he has exposed their unbridled corruption and urged voters 
to demand that the government respect their rights. Because of that, 
Alexei Navalny's life is in danger at this very moment.
  The tens of thousands of demonstrators who turned out across Russia 
to support this jailed opposition leader send an unmistakable message 
to the Kremlin: You cannot suppress the voice of the people 
indefinitely.
  Freedom-loving Americans and freedom-loving people around the world 
are, today, crying out for justice for Alexei Navalny. He endures the 
suffering of many before him--in Russia, people like Sergei Magnitsky 
and Boris Nemtsov and, abroad, people like Nelson Mandela and Mahatma 
Gandhi--whose legacies and movements did not rot while they were in 
prison but, instead, helped to bring down oppressive governments.
  At this point, I yield to the Senator from Colorado for a brief 
intervention before I close with a thought or two.
  Mr. BENNET. Madam President, I rise on behalf of Senator Cardin, who 
is a Democrat from the State of Maryland and an original cosponsor of 
this bill with Senator Wicker, to say what he would have said if he had 
been here today, which is that Alexei Navalny is a Russian patriot, 
that he is a prisoner of conscience, and that we need to stand up to 
Russia's human rights violations.
  Thank you.
  Mr. WICKER. In reclaiming my time, I appreciate the work of my friend 
Senator Cardin.
  Senator Coons from Delaware was also here, but, unfortunately, he had 
to leave.
  They also wanted to make it clear that, on a bipartisan basis, on 
both sides of the aisle, the U.S. Senate stands for freedom-loving 
people in Russia and for their spokesman, Alexei Navalny. We intend to 
shine the light of public opinion on the actions of the Russian 
kleptocracy and dictatorship with regard to prisoners and patriots like 
Alexei Navalny.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Ohio.

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