[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 64 (Tuesday, April 18, 2023)] [Senate] [Pages S1154-S1161] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
Date: 2023-04-18
Chamber: SENATE
Mr. WICKER: I come before the Senate this afternoon to address the disturbing matter of Vladimir Kara-Murza and to call on the State Department to act and act decisively now on behalf of Mr. Kara- Murza. Vladimir Kara-Murza is a courageous Russian leader and outspoken opponent of the dictatorship of President Putin there in Russia and a leader in the democracy effort in his home country of Russia. Many colleagues, myself included, know Vladimir Kara-Murza personally. I admire him. I consider him a friend. Other Senators will remember who Mr. Kara-Murza is after I remind the Senate of his history. Mr. Kara-Murza was the right-hand man of the late Russian opposition leader Boris Nemtsov. I say the late Russian leader because he was assassinated within the shadows of the Kremlin in 2015, after a career of courageous, outspoken opposition to the dictatorship in Russia. That was Boris Nemtsov. His assistant and right-hand man, Kara-Murza, was just this week sentenced to a 25-year prison term in Russia, having already served 1 year in prison for the simple offense of speaking out on behalf of freedom and democracy in Russia. Over the years, Vladimir Kara-Murza has spoken up against President Putin's invasion of Ukraine. He has spoken out against the suppression of human rights in Russia. He has worked with members of Congress. He has worked with Senator Cardin. He has worked with Senators like me and with former Senator John McCain. And he has been instrumental in getting us to pass and getting the administrations to sign important human rights legislation, like the Magnitsky Act, which has now been signed by 35 or more countries internationally, to crack down on those individuals within a dictatorship regime who have benefited from the violations of human rights. How has Mr. Vladimir Kara-Murza paid for this offense of speaking out on behalf of democracy and freedom? He is the one who has twice been poisoned by the Putin regime--on two occasions. And they fumbled it twice. Now they have a third chance to kill him, and it may be that, unless the State Department acts quickly, the Putin regime may finally get their wish and see the obituary of Vladimir Kara-Murza. His life is in danger now. Because of his previous poisonings, both of which he recovered from, he has suffered already from polyneuropathy. After a year in prison, he has lost 40 pounds. He has lost feeling in both of his feet now and is losing the feeling in one of his arms. That is the situation he finds himself in, the week when he was sentenced to a 25-year prison term simply for speaking out on behalf of freedom. Even under Russian law, a statutory scheme that none of us would approve of--even under Russian law--a diagnosis such as this would lead to the release of any prisoner, but not, apparently, for Vladimir Kara-Murza. Predictably, the Russian courts have violated their own law to keep him detained. Today, we read about many victims of Russia's despotism. We have been talking this week about former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, who has been sitting in a Russian prison since 2018 under fabricated charges, and then the recently detained Wall Street Journal reporter, Evan Gershkovich. Those two individuals need our support and are getting the support of the State Department--the same support that Mr. Vladimir Kara-Murza needs now and that the Senate should demand of the State Department. The State Department has the capability, as they have done for these two other prisoners, Gershkovich and Whelan. They have the ability to designate Mr. Kara-Murza as ``wrongfully detained'' under the Levinson Act. This classification would make the release of Vladimir Kara-Murza a top U.S. Government priority. Granting this designation would be a major step forward and would raise this case to the highest level of attention within the State Department and with regard to their negotiations with the Kremlin. It would give negotiators new tools to act strongly and quickly. Strong action and quick action is needed now to save the very life of Vladimir Kara-Murza. Efforts on his behalf could be conducted alongside the efforts that are being initiated for Mr. Whelan and Mr. Gershkovich, which I very much support. I implore the State Department to elevate this case also and save the life of Vladimir Kara-Murza, and I implore all Members of Congress to join me in urging our government to take immediate action to support all three of these gentlemen. Let's resolve that our government and our State Department act in every way possible to gain the release of these prisoners and in particular this prisoner whose life is hanging at the very moment by a thread. I met with Vladimir Kara-Murza's wife only yesterday. She had met with the State Department, along with her attorneys, along with some advocates. Clearly, she fears for the life of her husband. She is a resident of Northern Virginia, by the way, with two small children. She fears for the life of her husband, and she worries about the future of herself and her children, but also she wonders why the State Department would not act in the most forceful way possible, and that is with this designation of ``wrongfully detained.'' Senator Cardin and I will be speaking to Members of the Senate and the House about this. We will be passing around a letter to sign to the Secretary of State urging that this matter be given the highest consideration. And perhaps we can diplomatically obtain the release of this courageous person who has committed no crime and save the life of Vladimir Kara-Murza. I suggest the absence of a quorum.