118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. CON. RES. 7 

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 

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 
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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. KaraMurza, Alexei Navalny, and other citizens of the Russian 

Federation imprisoned for opposing the regime of Vladimir Putin and the war against Ukraine; 
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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 
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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. KaraMurza 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. KaraMurza 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 

1 Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives 

2 concurring), That Congress— 
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1 (1) condemns in the strongest possible terms 

2 the unjust and arbitrary detention of Russian demo3 cratic opposition leader Vladimir Kara-Murza; 

4 (2) calls on the Russian Federation to imme5 diately release Mr. Kara-Murza and all other Rus6 sian opposition leaders, including Alexei Navalny, 

7 who are detained as a result of their opposition to 

8 the Putin regime; 

9 (3) expresses solidarity with and calls for the 

10 release of all political prisoners in Russia and 

11 Belarus, as well as Ukrainian citizens illegally held 

12 as prisoners by Putin’s regime in violation of the 

13 rule of law as a result of their support for liberal 

14 democratic values; and 

15 (4) calls on the President of the United States 

16 and leaders from across the free world to work tire17 lessly for the release of political prisoners in Russia. 

Passed the Senate November 2, 2023. 

Attest: 

Secretary. 
118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. CON. RES. 7 

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 

Condemning Russia’s unjust and arbitrary detenin Russia. racy, the rule of law, and free and fair elections Murza who has stood up in defense of democ- tion of Russian opposition leader Vladimir Kara-