05.26.22

Durbin, Rubio, Colleagues Applaud Senate Passage Of Resolution Condemning Arrest And Detention Of Russian Dissident Vladimir Kara-Murza

WASHINGTON—U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Co-Chair of the Senate Ukraine Caucus, and U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) applauded the Senate’s passage of their bipartisan resolution honoring Russian dissident Vladimir Kara-Murza and condemning his unjust detention. The bipartisan resolution pays tribute to Kara-Murza’s advocacy for human rights in Russia and support for the anti-war movement. Additionally, it urges the U.S. and its allies to secure his release and that of Alexei Navalny and other Russian political prisoners, and calls for the U.S. government to support the cause of democracy and human rights in Russia.

“Vladimir Kara-Murza is a fearless Russian patriot and leader for democracy, and I’ve had the honor of meeting him a few times,” Durbin said. “By passing this resolution, we are one step closer to bringing Vladimir home so he can continue to advocate for the Russian and Ukrainian people and against the tyranny of Putin.”

Durbin met with Kara-Murza in March to discuss the unprovoked and unjustified invasion of Ukraine and his particular insights on Russian politics. They also discussed the increasing number of Russians who oppose Putin’s war.

U.S. Senators Jim Risch (R-ID), Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Roger Wicker (R-MS), Ben Cardin (D-MD), Ron Johnson (R-WI), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), and Chuck Grassley (R-IA) are original cosponsors.

Full text of the resolution is available here.

Vladimir Kara-Murza, Vice Chairman of Open Russia, is a journalist, contributing writer at the Washington Post, film-maker, author, and a lifelong Russian opposition politician.  He was born in Moscow in 1981, where he lived until attending Cambridge for his BA and MA in History.  His opposition to Putin began in 2000 and his career in the public spotlight took off when he ran for State Duma in 2003.  In 2012, he became widely recognized in the U.S. for his help in passing the Magnitsky Act, a bill Durbin cosponsored that blocked 18 Russian government officials and businessmen from entering the United States, froze any assets held by U.S. banks, and banned their future use of U.S. banking systems. The act was expanded in 2016, and now sanctions apply to 44 suspected human rights abusers worldwide.

 

-30-