[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 43 (Tuesday, March 7, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Pages S661-S662]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                          Magnitsky Sanctions

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, last week, the Biden administration 
announced it was imposing Magnitsky law-related sanctions on several 
Putin thugs involved in the jailing of Vladimir Kara-Murza. This is the 
move that I, along with Senators Shaheen, Rubio, Tillis, Menendez, and 
Risch, had urged.
  Kara-Murza is an incredible Russian patriot who, despite being 
poisoned

[[Page S662]]

twice by the Kremlin, returned to Russia last year to continue the 
peaceful struggle for a more democratic nation and an end to the 
disastrous war in Ukraine. I will never forget that he came to talk to 
me just before he returned to Russia and reflected on his determination 
and optimism for a better future for Russia. Tragically, he was 
arrested shortly after arriving in Moscow on the laughable charge of 
criticizing Mr. Putin's war.
  Kara-Murza, Alexei Navalny, and so many other Russians who are 
courageously pursuing a better future for their country deserve our 
support, and they deserve to be released from Putin's disgraceful 
gulags.
  I would also like to take a moment to mention another brave person. 
This gentleman, Oswaldo Paya, a brave Cuban, died under suspicious 
circumstances 11 years ago. Oswaldo Paya had spent years advocating for 
peaceful, democratic change in Cuba, including submitting thousands of 
signatures calling for greater political freedoms using a process 
allowed by the Cuban Constitution itself. Not only did the Castro 
regime cowardly ignore these modest requests, but it then changed the 
constitutional provision that allowed for this kind of political input.
  After years of harassment and threats, in July 2012, Oswaldo Paya's 
car was run off the road by a government vehicle, leading to his death. 
The Cuban Government has never provided a credible accounting of the 
incident or charged anyone with his death. So, this week, Senators 
Rubio, Kaine, Cassidy, Menendez, Cruz, Cardin, Warner, and I are again 
calling on the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights to complete 
this investigation. I hope the Commission finally acts to bring light 
to Paya's case and to help deter acts of aggression like this in the 
future.