[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 102 (Monday, June 12, 2023)]
[House]
[Pages H2795-H2797]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




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

  Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the 
resolution (H. Res. 377) 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, as 
amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
  The text of the resolution is as follows:

                              H. Res. 377

       Whereas United States citizen Evan Gershkovich is a 
     reporter 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 House of Representatives--
       (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

[[Page H2796]]

     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 Russia 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.

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


                             General Leave

  Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to 
include extraneous material on this measure.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Texas?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Evan Gershkovich is an American citizen and a respected Wall Street 
Journal reporter. He is the son of two Soviet-born Jewish exiles who 
fled Russia to avoid persecution. He is a loving little brother.
  What he is not, Mr. Speaker, is a criminal. Yet, on March 29, he was 
arrested by the corrupt Putin regime and charged with espionage. No 
evidence has been presented to back up this accusation because there is 
no evidence.
  Evan is innocent. He was simply doing his job, reporting on the news 
in Russia, but we know that the war criminal Putin doesn't like that. 
He doesn't want his own people to know about the atrocities that he is 
committing in Ukraine. He doesn't want them to know about the 
corruption within his own government or how he has turned their country 
into an international pariah.
  Vladimir Putin knows that a free press is a pillar of democracy, that 
a strong fourth estate will hold officials accountable, so he arrested 
Evan with the intention of not only silencing him but of scaring other 
journalists to remain silent, too.
  I assure Evan's friends, his coworkers, and especially his family, 
who I have met with, that we will continue our fight every day until we 
bring him home to you.
  As the father of five children, I cannot begin to imagine the pain 
and suffering Evan's family is feeling right now. I had the opportunity 
to meet Evan's mother, Ella, recently. Like any mother, she was very 
worried about her son and this situation, but she was also very 
determined to do anything she could to bring him home.
  She thanked me for the efforts of our committee, the Foreign Affairs 
Committee, and others on Capitol Hill who are doing everything we can 
to help their son.
  Just as unfortunate, our next resolution, on Paul Whelan, makes clear 
that Evan's family is not the only one suffering through this 
nightmare. We are also awaiting information from the State Department 
about the arrest of yet another American citizen in Russia over this 
last weekend.
  The Putin regime is increasingly brazen in using political detentions 
to seek leverage over the Biden administration, and it must be made 
clear that the use of American citizens as political pawns will not go 
unpunished. These Americans deserve to be home with their families 
instead of in Russian prisons.
  Today's bipartisan resolution condemns the Putin regime for their 
illegal imprisonment. It calls on the Biden administration to 
prioritize bringing home all American citizens who are wrongfully 
detained overseas.
  Today, we send a strong message to Vladimir Putin that America, 
Republicans and Democrats alike, will not tolerate his corrupt regime 
holding U.S. citizens hostage under false pretenses.
  America, Mr. Speaker, stands with Evan and with every American who is 
wrongfully detained overseas, and we will not rest until all of them 
are brought home.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. MEEKS. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this bipartisan 
resolution, and I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I am a strong supporter of H. Res. 377, 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.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman McCaul for working with me to introduce 
H. Res. 377 in a bipartisan fashion. We may disagree on many issues in 
this body, but it is essential that the safe return of American 
citizens wrongfully detained overseas is not one of them. I appreciate 
the cooperation and the work together that Mr. McCaul and I do on the 
House Foreign Affairs Committee.
  Evan Gershkovich, a journalist working in one of the most difficult 
media environments in the world, has dedicated his life to truth. His 
reporting has shed light on Russia's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, 
the struggling Russian economy, and its horrific war against the people 
of Ukraine.
  With his detention, Russia has once again stooped to the lowest of 
lows, detaining an American journalist for the first time since the 
Cold War. He is detained on baseless charges to gain political leverage 
and further silence the brave members of the independent press who are 
undeterred by Russian threats.
  Evan, like Paul Whelan, like Brittney Griner, like Trevor Reed before 
him, continues to be denied his rights by Russian authorities, who are 
throwing up roadblock after roadblock to prevent our Embassy from 
getting access to him while he remains in detention. The sham legal 
processes he is subjected to are conducted without evidence, without 
transparency, and without due process.
  While the administration, with the unanimous support of this 
Congress, was able to secure the release of Trevor and Brittney, we 
must continue to do everything, and I mean everything, in our power to 
ensure that Evan and Paul are brought home safely to their families, as 
well.
  For as long as necessary, we must state unequivocally that we stand 
with Evan, that we stand with Paul, that we stand with their families 
suffering tremendous emotional and financial strain as a result of 
their detentions. By passing this resolution, we can do just that.
  I support this measure and hope we can continue to work in a 
bipartisan fashion with the executive branch on this and other critical 
legislation to better support Americans like Evan and their families. I 
encourage my colleagues, all of us, to join in supporting this measure.

  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers. I reserve the 
right to close, and I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. MEEKS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
  Mr. Speaker, there is no more sacred responsibility of government 
than to ensure the safety and well-being of the American people and 
ensure that their

[[Page H2797]]

human rights are respected. Tragically, the authoritarian regime in the 
Kremlin has taken to the practice of using that commitment against us, 
taking our citizens hostage for political leverage.
  In last year's State Department authorization act, which passed in 
the annual NDAA, we included additional tools for the State Department 
to address hostage taking. These include quicker notifications to 
Congress, expanded whistleblower rewards programs, and greater 
resources for the State Department. I look forward to these changes 
being put to use.
  In Evan's case, we can take an important step by passing this 
resolution and condemning hostage diplomacy in the strongest possible 
terms. We must continue to express support for the efforts of the 
administration to secure Evan's return and demonstrate our commitment 
to Evan and Paul, and all other Americans wrongfully detained overseas, 
for as long as it takes.
  As I close, I again thank Chairman McCaul for partnering with me on 
this important resolution. I hope my colleagues will join us 
unanimously in supporting this resolution.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
  Mr. Speaker, let me also thank the ranking member, Mr. Meeks, because 
what makes this committee so special, in my opinion, is that we know 
how important it is to speak with one voice, as one country, not as a 
divided nation. When it comes to Mr. Putin and what he is doing to our 
Americans over there, we are united with one voice.
  Mr. Speaker, Evan's case marks the first time since the Cold War that 
a journalist has been wrongfully charged with espionage on Russian 
soil. It is clear that Putin and the corrupt Kremlin will do anything 
to silence those who seek to expose the truth.
  A man of integrity, Evan put the truth ahead of his own safety. He 
was dedicated to shining a light on the vast corruption and the war 
crimes of Russia.
  Make no mistake, Evan's work posed a threat to Mr. Putin and his 
cronies, so they did what they always do when threatened: They silence 
their critics.
  It is absolutely unacceptable for Putin to hold Americans hostage as 
diplomatic pawns. Quite frankly, Mr. Speaker, it is happening way too 
often now.
  As I said before, America stands with Evan, and we will not rest 
until he is home.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. McCaul) that the House suspend the rules and 
agree to the resolution, H. Res. 377, 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. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a 
quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not 
present.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further 
proceedings on this question will be postponed.
  The point of no quorum is considered withdrawn.

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