Source: United States Senator for Illinois Dick Durbin
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) introduced a 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 allied states to secure his immediate release, and calls for the U.S. government to support the cause of democracy and human rights in Russia.
“Vladimir is a fearless Russian patriot and leader for democracy and I’ve had the honor of meeting him a few times,” Durbin said. “Despite being poisoned twice by the Kremlin, he heroically continues to stand up to Putin and advocate for the Russian and Ukrainian people. Our bipartisan resolution not only honors him but condemns his unjust detention. I will continue to work with my colleagues to call for his immediate release.”
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.
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