[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 181 (Thursday, November 2, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5332-S5335]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     CONDEMNING RUSSIA'S UNJUST AND ARBITRARY DETENTION OF RUSSIAN 
 OPPOSITION LEADER VLADIMIR KARA-MURZA WHO HAS STOOD UP IN DEFENSE OF 
   DEMOCRACY, THE RULE OF LAW, AND FREE AND FAIR ELECTIONS IN RUSSIA

  Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 52, S. Con. Res. 
7.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the concurrent 
resolution by title.

[[Page S5333]]

  The senior assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       A concurrent resolution (S. Con. Res. 7) condemning 
     Russia's unjust and arbitrary detention of Russian opposition 
     leader Vladimir Kara-Murza who has stood up in defense of 
     democracy, the rule of law, and free and fair elections in 
     Russia.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
concurrent resolution, which had been reported from the Committee on 
Foreign Relations, with an amendment to strike all after the resolving 
clause and insert the part printed in italic, and with an amendment to 
the preamble to strike the preamble and insert the part printed in 
italic, as follows:

       Whereas, on April 11, 2022, Vladimir Kara-Murza was 
     unjustly detained by Russian authorities for spreading 
     supposedly ``false information'' in a speech in March 2022 to 
     the Arizona House of Representatives;
       Whereas, on February 24, 2022, Vladimir Putin launched 
     another unprovoked, unjustified, and illegal invasion into 
     Ukraine in contravention of the obligations freely undertaken 
     by the Russian Federation to respect the territorial 
     integrity of Ukraine under the Budapest Memorandum of 1994, 
     the Minsk protocols of 2014 and 2015, and international law;
       Whereas, since February 24, 2022, Mr. Kara-Murza has used 
     his voice and platform to join more than 15,000 citizens of 
     the Russian Federation in peacefully protesting the war 
     against Ukraine and millions more who silently oppose the 
     war;
       Whereas, on March 5, 2022, Vladimir Putin signed a law 
     criminalizing the distribution of truthful statements about 
     the invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation and 
     mandating up to 15 years in prison for such offenses;
       Whereas Mr. Kara-Murza, in his March 15, 2022, speech 
     presented a defiant condemnation of Vladimir Putin's policies 
     and leadership outlining his corruption and malign 
     intentions, and condemning the illegal war of aggression 
     Putin has unleashed against Ukraine;
       Whereas, prior to his arrest in April 2022, Mr. Kara-Murza 
     was poisoned twice by agents of the Russian government and 
     the Russian Federation in 2015 and 2017 with a military-grade 
     agent banned internationally, likely in retaliation for his 
     defiant stance in support of rule of law and democracy in 
     Russia;
       Whereas, despite having survived two assassination attempts 
     and the subsequent side effects of these poisonings, Mr. 
     Kara-Murza regularly returned to Russia to advocate for 
     democratic representation in Russia;
       Whereas independent investigations conducted by Bellingcat, 
     the Insider, and Der Spiegel found that the same unit of the 
     Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation 
     responsible for poisoning Mr. Kara-Murza was also responsible 
     for poisoning Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny and 
     activists Timur Kuashev, Ruslan Magomedragimov, and Nikita 
     Isayev;
       Whereas Mr. Kara-Murza has consistently advocated for 
     democracy in Russia and insisted that democracy in Russia 
     must be advanced by Russians for all those living in Russia;
       Whereas, on May 26, 2022, the United States Senate 
     unanimously agreed to Senate Resolution 632 (117th Congress) 
     calling for the immediate release of Mr. Kara-Murza, Alexei 
     Navalny, and other citizens of the Russian Federation 
     imprisoned for opposing the regime of Vladimir Putin and the 
     war against Ukraine;
       Whereas, on July 27, 2022, the Investigative Committee of 
     the Russian Federation charged Mr. Kara-Murza for his 
     engagements with Free Russia Foundation and Open Russia, both 
     of which are nongovernmental organizations targeted by the 
     law of the Russian Federation on undesirable organizations;
       Whereas, in August 2022, new charges were brought against 
     Mr. Kara-Murza for ``carrying out the activities'' of an 
     ``undesirable foreign organization'' and his arrest was 
     extended for his work as a leading member of Russian civil 
     society;
       Whereas, in October 2022, Mr. Kara-Murza was further 
     charged unjustly with ``high treason'' due to his public 
     condemnations of the Kremlin's military aggression on Ukraine 
     and domestic repressions;
       Whereas, on April 17, 2023, Mr. Kara-Murza was sentenced to 
     25 years in prison, one of the highest sentences given to any 
     Russian opposition figure;
       Whereas, since Mr. Kara-Murza's arrest, the state of his 
     health has deteriorated and in addition to losing over 45 
     pounds, he was diagnosed with polyneuropathy, a condition 
     that under Russian law, should preclude him from 
     incarceration;
       Whereas, as a result of his diagnosis, he has lost feeling 
     in both his feet and has experienced symptoms similar to 
     those he experienced following his 2015 poisoning due to 
     peripheral nerve damage;
       Whereas section 5599F of the James M. Inhofe National 
     Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023 (Public Law 
     117-263) condemned Mr. Kara-Murza's unjust detention, 
     expressed solidarity with Mr. Kara-Murza, his family, and all 
     individuals imprisoned in Russia for their beliefs, and urged 
     the United States and other ally governments to work to 
     secure the release of Mr. Kara-Murza and other citizens of 
     the Russian Federation imprisoned for opposition to Vladimir 
     Putin's regime and his illegal war in Ukraine;
       Whereas, in April 2022, Vladimir Kara-Murza was presented 
     the McCain Institute's Courage and Leadership Award for his 
     unwavering commitment to fundamental values and his acts of 
     selfless courage which have inspired the world;
       Whereas, in October 2022, Mr. Kara-Murza was awarded the 
     Vaclav Havel Prize honoring outstanding civil society action 
     in defense of human rights;
       Whereas the late Senator John McCain said Mr. Kara-Murza 
     ``is a brave, outspoken, and relentless advocate for freedom 
     and democracy in Russia'' and introduced Mr. Kara-Murza as 
     ``a personal hero whose courage, selflessness and idealism I 
     find awe-inspiring'';
       Whereas, in March 2023, the Department of the Treasury and 
     the Department of State imposed Global Magnitsky and other 
     targeted sanctions on six Russians involved in Mr. Kara-
     Murza's ongoing arbitrary detention, recognized his role as 
     ``a major advocate for the adoption of Magnitsky-style 
     sanctions authorities by the United States, Canada, European 
     Union, and United Kingdom to target human rights abusers and 
     corrupt actors in Russia,'' and called for his immediate 
     release;
       Whereas, in April 2023, 81 Members of Congress sent a 
     letter to Secretary of State Anthony Blinken urging that Mr. 
     Kara-Murza be designated under the Robert Levinson Hostage 
     Recovery and Hostage-Taking Accountability Act (22 U.S.C. 
     1741 et seq.) as ``unlawfully and wrongfully detained''; and
       Whereas Mr. Kara-Murza remains a political prisoner and a 
     victim of Vladimir Putin's authoritarian state: Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives 
     concurring),
     That Congress--
       (1) condemns in the strongest possible terms the unjust and 
     arbitrary detention of Russian democratic opposition leader 
     Vladimir Kara-Murza;
       (2) calls on the Russian Federation to immediately release 
     Mr. Kara-Murza and all other Russian opposition leaders, 
     including Alexei Navalny, who are detained as a result of 
     their opposition to the Putin regime;
       (3) calls on all Russian citizens to outright condemn 
     Russia's illegal and unjust invasion of Ukraine in the spirit 
     of Mr. Kara-Murza's defiant stance in front of the Arizona 
     House of Representatives in March 2022;
       (4) expresses solidarity with and calls for the release of 
     all political prisoners in Russia and Belarus, as well as 
     Ukrainian citizens illegally held as prisoners by Putin's 
     regime in violation of the rule of law as a result of their 
     support for liberal democratic values; and
       (5) calls on the President of the United States and leaders 
     from across the free world to work tirelessly for the release 
     of political prisoners in Russia and increase support for 
     those advocating for democracy in Russia, as well as 
     independent media and civil society which Mr. Kara-Murza has 
     worked to further.

  Mr. SCHUMER. I further ask that the committee-reported substitute 
amendment to the concurrent resolution be withdrawn; that the Cardin 
substitute amendment at the desk to the concurrent resolution be agreed 
to; that the concurrent resolution, as amended, be agreed to; that the 
committee-reported substitute amendment to the preamble be withdrawn; 
that the Cardin substitute amendment at the desk to the preamble be 
agreed to; that the preamble, as amended, be agreed to; and that the 
motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with 
no intervening action or to debate.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The committee-reported amendment, in the nature of a substitute, was 
withdrawn.
  The amendment (No. 1359) was agreed to as follows:

                (Purpose: In the nature of a substitute)

       Strike all after the resolving clause and insert the 
     following: That Congress--
       (1) condemns in the strongest possible terms the unjust and 
     arbitrary detention of Russian democratic opposition leader 
     Vladimir Kara-Murza;
       (2) calls on the Russian Federation to immediately release 
     Mr. Kara-Murza and all other Russian opposition leaders, 
     including Alexei Navalny, who are detained as a result of 
     their opposition to the Putin regime;
       (3) expresses solidarity with and calls for the release of 
     all political prisoners in Russia and Belarus, as well as 
     Ukrainian citizens illegally held as prisoners by Putin's 
     regime in violation of the rule of law as a result of their 
     support for liberal democratic values; and
       (4) calls on the President of the United States and leaders 
     from across the free world to work tirelessly for the release 
     of political prisoners in Russia.
  The concurrent resolution (S. Con. Res. 7), as amended, was agreed 
to.
  The committee-reported amendment, in the nature of a substitute, to 
the preamble was withdrawn.
  The amendment (No. 1360) to the preamble, in the nature of a 
substitute, was agreed to as follows:

                   (Purpose: To amend the preamble.)

       Strike the preamble and insert the following:
       Whereas, on April 11, 2022, Vladimir Kara-Murza was 
     unjustly detained by Russian authorities for spreading 
     supposedly ``false information'' in a speech in March 2022 to 
     the Arizona House of Representatives;
       Whereas, on February 24, 2022, Vladimir Putin launched 
     another unprovoked, unjustified, and illegal invasion into 
     Ukraine in

[[Page S5334]]

     contravention of the obligations freely undertaken by the 
     Russian Federation to respect the territorial integrity of 
     Ukraine under the Budapest Memorandum of 1994, the Minsk 
     protocols of 2014 and 2015, and international law;
       Whereas, since February 24, 2022, Mr. Kara-Murza has used 
     his voice and platform to join more than 15,000 citizens of 
     the Russian Federation in peacefully protesting the war 
     against Ukraine and millions more who silently oppose the 
     war;
       Whereas, on March 5, 2022, Vladimir Putin signed a law 
     criminalizing the distribution of truthful statements about 
     the invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation and 
     mandating up to 15 years in prison for such offenses;
       Whereas Mr. Kara-Murza, in his March 15, 2022, speech 
     presented a defiant condemnation of Vladimir Putin's policies 
     and leadership outlining his corruption and malign 
     intentions, and condemning the illegal war of aggression 
     Putin has unleashed against Ukraine;
       Whereas, prior to his arrest in April 2022, Mr. Kara-Murza 
     was poisoned twice by agents of the Russian government and 
     the Russian Federation in 2015 and 2017 with a military-grade 
     agent banned internationally, likely in retaliation for his 
     defiant stance in support of rule of law and democracy in 
     Russia;
       Whereas, despite having survived two assassination attempts 
     and the subsequent side effects of these poisonings, Mr. 
     Kara-Murza regularly returned to Russia to advocate for 
     democratic representation in Russia;
       Whereas independent investigations conducted by Bellingcat, 
     the Insider, and Der Spiegel found that the same unit of the 
     Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation 
     responsible for poisoning Mr. Kara-Murza was also responsible 
     for poisoning Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny and 
     activists Timur Kuashev, Ruslan Magomedragimov, and Nikita 
     Isayev;
       Whereas Mr. Kara-Murza has consistently advocated for 
     democracy in Russia and insisted that democracy in Russia 
     must be advanced by Russians for all those living in Russia;
       Whereas, on May 26, 2022, the United States Senate 
     unanimously agreed to Senate Resolution 632 (117th Congress) 
     calling for the immediate release of Mr. Kara-Murza, Alexei 
     Navalny, and other citizens of the Russian Federation 
     imprisoned for opposing the regime of Vladimir Putin and the 
     war against Ukraine;
       Whereas, on July 27, 2022, the Investigative Committee of 
     the Russian Federation charged Mr. Kara-Murza for his 
     engagements with Free Russia Foundation and Open Russia, both 
     of which are nongovernmental organizations targeted by the 
     law of the Russian Federation on undesirable organizations;
       Whereas, in August 2022, new charges were brought against 
     Mr. Kara-Murza for ``carrying out the activities'' of an 
     ``undesirable foreign organization'' and his arrest was 
     extended for his work as a leading member of Russian civil 
     society;
       Whereas, in October 2022, Mr. Kara-Murza was further 
     charged unjustly with ``high treason'' due to his public 
     condemnations of the Kremlin's military aggression on Ukraine 
     and domestic repressions;
       Whereas, on April 17, 2023, Mr. Kara-Murza was sentenced to 
     25 years in prison, one of the highest sentences given to any 
     Russian opposition figure;
       Whereas, since Mr. Kara-Murza's arrest, the state of his 
     health has deteriorated and in addition to losing over 45 
     pounds, he was diagnosed with polyneuropathy, a condition 
     that under Russian law, should preclude him from 
     incarceration;
       Whereas, as a result of his diagnosis, he has lost feeling 
     in both his feet and has experienced symptoms similar to 
     those he experienced following his 2015 poisoning due to 
     peripheral nerve damage;
       Whereas section 5599F of the James M. Inhofe National 
     Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023 (Public Law 
     117-263) condemned Mr. Kara-Murza's unjust detention, 
     expressed solidarity with Mr. Kara-Murza, his family, and all 
     individuals imprisoned in Russia for their beliefs, and urged 
     the United States and other ally governments to work to 
     secure the release of Mr. Kara-Murza and other citizens of 
     the Russian Federation imprisoned for opposition to Vladimir 
     Putin's regime and his illegal war in Ukraine;
       Whereas, in April 2022, Vladimir Kara-Murza was presented 
     the McCain Institute's Courage and Leadership Award for his 
     unwavering commitment to fundamental values and his acts of 
     selfless courage which have inspired the world;
       Whereas, in October 2022, Mr. Kara-Murza was awarded the 
     Vaclav Havel Prize honoring outstanding civil society action 
     in defense of human rights;
       Whereas the late Senator John McCain said Mr. Kara-Murza 
     ``is a brave, outspoken, and relentless advocate for freedom 
     and democracy in Russia'' and introduced Mr. Kara-Murza as 
     ``a personal hero whose courage, selflessness and idealism I 
     find awe-inspiring'';
       Whereas, in April 2023, 81 Members of Congress sent a 
     letter to Secretary of State Anthony Blinken urging that Mr. 
     Kara-Murza be designated under the Robert Levinson Hostage 
     Recovery and Hostage-Taking Accountability Act (22 U.S.C. 
     1741 et seq.) as ``unlawfully and wrongfully detained''; and
       Whereas Mr. Kara-Murza remains a political prisoner and a 
     victim of Vladimir Putin's authoritarian state: Now, 
     therefore, be it

  The preamble, as amended, was agreed to.
  The concurrent resolution, as amended, with its preamble, as amended, 
read as follows:

                             S. Con. Res. 7

       Whereas, on April 11, 2022, Vladimir Kara-Murza was 
     unjustly detained by Russian authorities for spreading 
     supposedly ``false information'' in a speech in March 2022 to 
     the Arizona House of Representatives;
       Whereas, on February 24, 2022, Vladimir Putin launched 
     another unprovoked, unjustified, and illegal invasion into 
     Ukraine in contravention of the obligations freely undertaken 
     by the Russian Federation to respect the territorial 
     integrity of Ukraine under the Budapest Memorandum of 1994, 
     the Minsk protocols of 2014 and 2015, and international law;
       Whereas, since February 24, 2022, Mr. Kara-Murza has used 
     his voice and platform to join more than 15,000 citizens of 
     the Russian Federation in peacefully protesting the war 
     against Ukraine and millions more who silently oppose the 
     war;
       Whereas, on March 5, 2022, Vladimir Putin signed a law 
     criminalizing the distribution of truthful statements about 
     the invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation and 
     mandating up to 15 years in prison for such offenses;
       Whereas Mr. Kara-Murza, in his March 15, 2022, speech 
     presented a defiant condemnation of Vladimir Putin's policies 
     and leadership outlining his corruption and malign 
     intentions, and condemning the illegal war of aggression 
     Putin has unleashed against Ukraine;
       Whereas, prior to his arrest in April 2022, Mr. Kara-Murza 
     was poisoned twice by agents of the Russian government and 
     the Russian Federation in 2015 and 2017 with a military-grade 
     agent banned internationally, likely in retaliation for his 
     defiant stance in support of rule of law and democracy in 
     Russia;
       Whereas, despite having survived two assassination attempts 
     and the subsequent side effects of these poisonings, Mr. 
     Kara-Murza regularly returned to Russia to advocate for 
     democratic representation in Russia;
       Whereas independent investigations conducted by Bellingcat, 
     the Insider, and Der Spiegel found that the same unit of the 
     Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation 
     responsible for poisoning Mr. Kara-Murza was also responsible 
     for poisoning Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny and 
     activists Timur Kuashev, Ruslan Magomedragimov, and Nikita 
     Isayev;
       Whereas Mr. Kara-Murza has consistently advocated for 
     democracy in Russia and insisted that democracy in Russia 
     must be advanced by Russians for all those living in Russia;
       Whereas, on May 26, 2022, the United States Senate 
     unanimously agreed to Senate Resolution 632 (117th Congress) 
     calling for the immediate release of Mr. Kara-Murza, Alexei 
     Navalny, and other citizens of the Russian Federation 
     imprisoned for opposing the regime of Vladimir Putin and the 
     war against Ukraine;
       Whereas, on July 27, 2022, the Investigative Committee of 
     the Russian Federation charged Mr. Kara-Murza for his 
     engagements with Free Russia Foundation and Open Russia, both 
     of which are nongovernmental organizations targeted by the 
     law of the Russian Federation on undesirable organizations;
       Whereas, in August 2022, new charges were brought against 
     Mr. Kara-Murza for ``carrying out the activities'' of an 
     ``undesirable foreign organization'' and his arrest was 
     extended for his work as a leading member of Russian civil 
     society;
       Whereas, in October 2022, Mr. Kara-Murza was further 
     charged unjustly with ``high treason'' due to his public 
     condemnations of the Kremlin's military aggression on Ukraine 
     and domestic repressions;
       Whereas, on April 17, 2023, Mr. Kara-Murza was sentenced to 
     25 years in prison, one of the highest sentences given to any 
     Russian opposition figure;
       Whereas, since Mr. Kara-Murza's arrest, the state of his 
     health has deteriorated and in addition to losing over 45 
     pounds, he was diagnosed with polyneuropathy, a condition 
     that under Russian law, should preclude him from 
     incarceration;
       Whereas, as a result of his diagnosis, he has lost feeling 
     in both his feet and has experienced symptoms similar to 
     those he experienced following his 2015 poisoning due to 
     peripheral nerve damage;
       Whereas section 5599F of the James M. Inhofe National 
     Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023 (Public Law 
     117-263) condemned Mr. Kara-Murza's unjust detention, 
     expressed solidarity with Mr. Kara-Murza, his family, and all 
     individuals imprisoned in Russia for their beliefs, and urged 
     the United States and other ally governments to work to 
     secure the release of Mr. Kara-Murza and other citizens of 
     the Russian Federation imprisoned for opposition to Vladimir 
     Putin's regime and his illegal war in Ukraine;
       Whereas, in April 2022, Vladimir Kara-Murza was presented 
     the McCain Institute's Courage and Leadership Award for his 
     unwavering commitment to fundamental values and his acts of 
     selfless courage which have inspired the world;

[[Page S5335]]

       Whereas, in October 2022, Mr. Kara-Murza was awarded the 
     Vaclav Havel Prize honoring outstanding civil society action 
     in defense of human rights;
       Whereas the late Senator John McCain said Mr. Kara-Murza 
     ``is a brave, outspoken, and relentless advocate for freedom 
     and democracy in Russia'' and introduced Mr. Kara-Murza as 
     ``a personal hero whose courage, selflessness and idealism I 
     find awe-inspiring'';
       Whereas, in April 2023, 81 Members of Congress sent a 
     letter to Secretary of State Anthony Blinken urging that Mr. 
     Kara-Murza be designated under the Robert Levinson Hostage 
     Recovery and Hostage-Taking Accountability Act (22 U.S.C. 
     1741 et seq.) as ``unlawfully and wrongfully detained''; and
       Whereas Mr. Kara-Murza remains a political prisoner and a 
     victim of Vladimir Putin's authoritarian state: Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives 
     concurring), That Congress--
       (1) condemns in the strongest possible terms the unjust and 
     arbitrary detention of Russian democratic opposition leader 
     Vladimir Kara-Murza;
       (2) calls on the Russian Federation to immediately release 
     Mr. Kara-Murza and all other Russian opposition leaders, 
     including Alexei Navalny, who are detained as a result of 
     their opposition to the Putin regime;
       (3) expresses solidarity with and calls for the release of 
     all political prisoners in Russia and Belarus, as well as 
     Ukrainian citizens illegally held as prisoners by Putin's 
     regime in violation of the rule of law as a result of their 
     support for liberal democratic values; and
       (4) calls on the President of the United States and leaders 
     from across the free world to work tirelessly for the release 
     of political prisoners in Russia.

                          ____________________