Bill Summary
This resolution is a formal statement issued by the United States Senate, calling for the immediate release of Russian opposition leader Vladimir Kara-Murza. Kara-Murza has been detained multiple times and faced attempts on his life due to his advocacy for freedom, democracy, and human rights in Russia. The resolution also condemns the Russian government's invasion of Ukraine and the criminalization of truthful statements about the invasion. It urges the US government to work towards the release of Kara-Murza and other imprisoned citizens, and to increase support for democracy and independent media in Russia.
Possible Impacts
1. The legislation could potentially affect Mr. Kara-Murza and his family, as well as other individuals in the Russian Federation who are imprisoned for exercising their fundamental freedoms of speech, assembly, and belief. They may face further persecution or harm due to this legislation.
2. The legislation could exacerbate tensions between the United States and Russia, as it calls for increased support for those advocating for democracy and independent media in the Russian Federation. This could potentially lead to strained diplomatic relations and further conflict between the two countries.
3. The legislation could also have a broader impact on human rights and freedom of speech in Russia, as it denounces the actions of the Russian government and calls for the immediate release of individuals who have been unjustly detained. This could potentially put pressure on the Russian government to change their policies and treatment of political dissidents.
[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 145 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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118th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. RES. 145
Calling for the immediate release of Russian opposition leader Vladimir
Kara-Murza, who was unjustly detained on April 11, 2022.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
March 30, 2023
Mr. Rubio (for himself, Mr. Durbin, Mr. Wicker, Mr. Coons, Mr.
Ricketts, Mrs. Shaheen, and Mr. Risch) submitted the following
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Calling for the immediate release of Russian opposition leader Vladimir
Kara-Murza, who was unjustly detained on April 11, 2022.
Whereas Vladimir Vladimirovich Kara-Murza (referred to in this preamble as ``Mr.
Kara-Murza'') has tirelessly worked for decades to advance the cause of
freedom, democracy, and human rights for the people of the Russian
Federation;
Whereas, in retaliation for his advocacy, two attempts have been made on Mr.
Kara-Murza's life, as--
(1) on May 26, 2015, Mr. Kara-Murza fell ill with symptoms indicative
of poisoning and was hospitalized; and
(2) on February 2, 2017, he fell ill with similar symptoms and was
placed in a medically induced coma;
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
responsible for poisoning Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny and
activists Timur Kuashev, Ruslan Magomedragimov, and Nikita Isayev;
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, 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, 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 April 11, 2022, five police officers arrested Mr. Kara-Murza in
front of his home and denied his right to an attorney, and the next day
Mr. Kara-Murza was sentenced to 15 days in prison for disobeying a
police order;
Whereas, on April 22, 2022, the Investigative Committee of the Russian
Federation charged Mr. Kara-Murza with violations under the law signed
on March 5, 2022, for his fact-based statements condemning the invasion
of Ukraine by the Russian Federation;
Whereas Mr. Kara-Murza was then placed into pretrial detention and ordered to be
held until at least June 12, 2022;
Whereas, if convicted of those charges, Mr. Kara-Murza faces detention in a
penitentiary system that human rights nongovernmental organizations have
criticized for widespread torture, ill-treatment, and suspicious deaths
of prisoners;
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 alleged 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, on October 6, 2022, the Investigative Committee of the Russian
Federation charged Mr. Kara-Murza with high treason on the grounds that
he cooperated with a North Atlantic Treaty Organization member nation,
which was corroborated by the public speeches he delivered in the United
States, Portugal, and Finland;
Whereas, on March 3, 2023, in response to bipartisan requests from Congress, the
United States Government imposed sanctions under the Global Magnitsky
Human Rights Accountability Act (22 U.S.C. 10101 et seq.) on three
Russian individuals, Elena Anatolievna Lenskaya, Andrei Andreevich
Zadachin, and Danila Yurievich Mikheev, for their involvement in the
unjust detention of Mr. Kara-Murza; and
Whereas Mr. Kara-Murza's attorney reported that his client's health deteriorated
to the point that he was unfit to attend his hearing on March 16, 2023,
as Mr. Kara-Murza was being treated for polyneuropathy, a condition that
he sustained from poison attacks on May 26, 2015, and February 2, 2017:
Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) condemns the unjust detention and indicting of Russian
opposition leader Vladimir Vladimirovich Kara-Murza, who has
courageously stood up to oppression in the Russian Federation;
(2) expresses solidarity with Vladimir Vladimirovich Kara-
Murza, his family, and all individuals in the Russian
Federation imprisoned for exercising their fundamental freedoms
of speech, assembly, and belief;
(3) urges the United States Government and other allied
governments to work to secure the immediate release of Vladimir
Vladimirovich Kara-Murza, Alexei Navalny, and other citizens of
the Russian Federation imprisoned for opposing the regime of
Vladimir Putin and the war against Ukraine; and
(4) calls on the President to increase support provided by
the United States Government for those advocating for democracy
and independent media in the Russian Federation, which Vladimir
Vladimirovich Kara-Murza has worked to advance.
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