[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 63 (Monday, April 17, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Page S1123]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                          Vladimir Kara-Murza

  On another topic, Mr. President, today, a Russian puppet court 
sentenced opposition leader Vladimir Kara-Murza to 25 years in prison. 
For what? What did he do to merit a 25-year sentence in Russia? He had 
the nerve to criticize Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine.
  This is his photograph, incidentally. He visited my office several 
times before he made the incredible decision to go back to Russia and 
to confront the Putin administration. Now he is facing a 25-year 
sentence.
  It comes on the heels of reports that Russian authorities may be 
trying to slowly poison another opposition leader, Alexey Navalny, 
after a failed attempt on his life in 2020.
  Previously, Vladimir Putin tried twice to poison Mr. Kara-Murza as 
well. This kind of extrajudicial, extralegal process has become all too 
common in Russia.
  Apparently, Putin's fear of Russian patriots like Navalny and Kara-
Murza, who have only advocated for an open and democratic Russia that 
is at peace with its neighbors, knows no ends.
  Vladimir Kara-Murza, Alexey Navalny, and so many other Russians are 
courageously pursuing a better future for their country. They deserve 
our support and solidarity.