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[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 377 Engrossed in House (EH)]

<DOC>
H. Res. 377

                In the House of Representatives, U. S.,

                                                         June 13, 2023.
Whereas United States citizen Evan Gershkovich is a reporter for the Wall Street 
        Journal;
Whereas Evan Gershkovich is an accredited reporter, with a history of working in 
        Russia for the Moscow Times, Agence France-Presse, and the Wall Street 
        Journal;
Whereas Evan Gershkovich is known to his family, friends, and colleagues as 
        someone who is adventurous, curious, and who has an abiding love for 
        Russia and its people;
Whereas Evan Gershkovich, a trailblazing and intrepid journalist, actively 
        reported on stories across Russia, including the vast wildfires across 
        Siberia, the COVID-19 pandemic, the Russian economy, and the Government 
        of the Russian Federation's unlawful invasion of Ukraine;
Whereas, on March 29, 2023, Evan Gershkovich was arrested in Yekaterinburg while 
        reporting on behalf of the Wall Street Journal;
Whereas, on April 7, 2023, the Government of the Russian Federation charged Evan 
        Gershkovich with espionage;
Whereas the Government of the Russian Federation has failed to publicly provide 
        evidence of Evan Gershkovich's criminal action to credibly render a 
        charge of espionage;
Whereas the last time an American journalist was detained on allegations of 
        espionage in Russia was in 1986 during the era of the Soviet Union;
Whereas, on April 10, 2023, Secretary of State Antony Blinken designated Evan 
        Gershkovich wrongfully detained by the Government of the Russian 
        Federation; and
Whereas, on April 17, 2023, the United States was joined by 46 United Nations 
        Member States in a joint statement expressing deep concern over the 
        detention of Evan Gershkovich by the Government of the Russian 
        Federation: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) calls on the Government of the Russian Federation to immediately 
        release Evan Gershkovich, who has been wrongfully detained since March 
        2023;
            (2) urges all United States executive branch officials, including 
        President Joseph R. Biden, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and 
        Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs Roger D. Carstens, to 
        raise the case of Evan Gershkovich and to press for his immediate 
        release in all interactions with the Government of the Russian 
        Federation;
            (3) urges the Government of the Russian Federation to provide full, 
        unfettered, and consistent consular access, in accordance with its 
        international obligations, to Evan Gershkovich while he remains in 
        detention;
            (4) urges the Government of the Russian Federation to respect the 
        human rights of Evan Gershkovich;
            (5) urges the Government of the Russian Federation to respect the 
        rights of accredited journalists to freely and independently report the 
        news without fear of arbitrary detention or reprisal;
            (6) urges the Government of the Russian Federation to desist from 
        detaining, imprisoning, and otherwise seeking to intimidate journalists 
        in order to curtail or censor an independent press;
            (7) condemns the Government of the Russian Federation's continued 
        use of detentions and prosecutions of United States citizens and lawful 
        permanent residents for political purposes;
            (8) calls for the immediate release of Paul Whelan, who has been 
        wrongfully detained in Russia since December 2018;
            (9) expresses continued support for all American citizens and lawful 
        permanent residents detained in Russia and abroad, including Marc Fogel, 
        who faces a politicized, excessive sentence for his alleged offense, 
        Vladimir Kara-Murza, who has endured multiple attempts on his life and 
        years of persecution by the Putin regime, and others; and
            (10) expresses sympathy for and solidarity with the families of Evan 
        Gershkovich, Paul Whelan, and all other American citizens and lawful 
        permanent residents wrongfully detained abroad for the personal hardship 
        experienced as a result of the arbitrary and baseless arrest and 
        detention of their loved ones.
            Attest:

                                                                          Clerk.
```