[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 34 (Monday, February 26, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Page S987]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
By Mr. DURBIN (for himself, Mr. Cassidy, Mr. Fetterman, Mr.
Kaine, Mrs. Shaheen, Mr. Van Hollen, Mr. Scott of Florida, Mr.
Whitehouse, Mr. Coons, Mr. Welch, Mr. Casey, Ms. Klobuchar, Mr.
Merkley, Mr. Boozman, and Ms. Smith):
S. 3804. A bill to designate the area of Sumner Row between 16th
Street Northwest and L Street Northwest in Washington, District of
Columbia, as ``Alexi Navalny Way''; to the Committee on Homeland
Security and Governmental Affairs.
Mr. DURBIN. Madam President, I want to show you photographs of two
individuals. Two years ago, I had the privilege of meeting this man,
Vladimir Kara-Murza. He is a patriot and a Russian opposition leader--
what a risky business to be in.
Putin twice tried to poison him but failed. After his recovery here
in the United States, he made a conscious decision that I couldn't
believe. He said: I am going back to Russia. Someone has to be willing
to fight and die for freedom and democracy in that country.
I said to him, as he was leaving: You are going to face certain
arrest and imprisonment.
He said: I know it, but I have got to do it.
He had to continue the fight. I will never forget that moment of
bravery and conviction in my office. Not long after his return to
Russia, he was arrested for criticizing Putin's war in Ukraine.
He showed the same kind of patriotic courage as his compatriot Alexey
Navalny, who died just a few days ago at the hands of Vladimir Putin's
henchmen.
Putin tried to kill Navalny by poison too. He barred Navalny from
running for office, from sharing stories of massive Kremlin corruption,
and from speaking of the horrors of the Ukraine war.
Through it all, like Kara-Murza, Navalny was undeterred, and we know
what happened--his tragic fate in that Arctic prison where he had been
exiled. He was murdered by Vladimir Putin for fighting for freedom.
Navalny, Kara-Murza, and the Ukrainians on the frontlines are the
brave patriots in this world, heroes Congress should look to for
inspiration and courage, instead of a resort in Florida known as Mar-a-
Lago.
In this small but lasting tribute to Navalny's courage today, Senator
Cassidy, a Republican from Louisiana, and I are introducing legislation
to rename the street next to the residence of the Russian Ambassador to
the United States. The new name will be ``Navalny Way.''
This will not change what Putin has done or the unspeakable harm he
has caused the Navalny family or millions of Ukrainians, including
those children who have been kidnapped. But unlike the hooded Putin
thugs trying to erase Navalny's memory by arresting mourners and
quickly removing fliers left at makeshift memorials, this will force
Russian diplomats in Washington to be reminded every day, as they drive
by, of their crimes.
I hope Congress will quickly pass this symbolically important measure
and, in a larger tribute to Navalny, our Ukrainian allies, and the
thousands of kidnapped Ukrainian children, pass the supplemental
without further delay.
Mr. DURBIN. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of
the bill be printed in the Record.
There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be
printed in the Record, as follows:
S. 3804
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) The administration of President Vladimir V. Putin of
the Russian Federation has engaged in transnational
repression, assassinations of political opponents, poisoning
and other attempted murders of political opponents,
journalists, and human rights defenders, systemic human
rights abuses, and unprovoked military attacks against and
deployments to neighboring countries.
(2) The administration of President Vladimir V. Putin of
the Russian Federation has carried out arrests and detentions
of individuals who peacefully seek democratic freedoms or
oppose his repression, corruption, and invasion of Ukraine.
(3) Alexei Navalny was a Russian political dissident and
activist dedicated to promoting democratic freedoms and
fighting corruption in Russia.
(4) On February 16, 2024, the Russian prison where Alexei
Navalny was being held after his conviction on fabricated
charges in February 2021 announced that he had died a day
after he was seen in good health.
(5) Alexei Navalny had a history of exposing the widespread
corruption that sustained the Putin regime by enriching its
enablers. He was recognized and awarded on numerous occasions
for his work fighting corruption and promoting democratic
ideals. Those recognitions and awards include the 2015 Prize
of the Platform of European Memory and Conscience, a
nomination for the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize, the 2021 Boris
Nemtsov Prize for Courage, the 2021 Moral Courage Award by
the Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy, the 2021
Knight of Freedom Award by the Casimir Pulaski Foundation,
and the 2021 Sakharov Prize by the European Parliament.
(6) Alexei Navalny and fellow dissident Vladimir Kara-Murza
endured several poisonings and other attempts on their lives
carried out by Putin's government.
(7) Renaming the street near the official residence of the
Russian Ambassador to the United States serves as a
continuing expression of solidarity between the people of the
United States and the people of the Russian Federation, who
are engaged in a sustained, peaceful, and patriotic struggle
for fundamental freedoms.
SEC. 2. DESIGNATION OF ALEXEI NAVALNY WAY.
(a) Designation of Way.--
(1) In general.--The area of Sumner Row Northwest between
16th Street Northwest and L Street Northwest in Washington,
District of Columbia, shall be known and designated as
``Alexei Navalny Way''.
(2) References.--Any reference in a law, map, regulation,
document, paper, or other record of the United States to the
area referred to in paragraph (1) shall be deemed to be a
reference to ``Alexei Navalny Way''.
(b) Signs.--The District of Columbia shall construct 2
street signs--
(1) that contain the phrase ``Alexei Navalny Way'';
(2) one of which shall be placed immediately above existing
signs between 1135 16th Street Northwest and 1119-1125 16th
Street Northwest;
(3) one of which shall be placed on a sign post at 1555 L
Street Northwest; and
(4) that are similar in design to the signs used by the
District of Columbia to designate the location of Metro
stations.
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