WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Jim Risch (R-Idaho) and Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) ranking member and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued the following joint statement in reaction to the Russian government’s new trumped up criminal charges against opposition activist Vladimir Kara-Murza imprisoned for sharing information about Putin’s war crimes in Ukraine:
“The Putin regime’s new fabricated charges against Vladimir Kara-Murza are a testament to Putin’s deeply held fear of the Russian people knowing the truth. Kara-Murza’s efforts to shine a light on the Russian regime’s atrocities in Ukraine are the latest in his lifetime dedicated to exposing the truth by providing unbiased reporting for the Russian people and the world, and by building international consensus around tools to hold the Putin regime to account.
“Vladimir’s bravery inspires us as he uses his voice for the people of Ukraine, and offers a vision of what a free and democratic Russia might be. Though the Putin regime attempts to paint dissenters as anti-Russian, Vladimir has made clear through his efforts to bring truth and the rule of law to Russia that he is in fact the strongest advocate for the Russian people. We call on the Russian government to release Vladimir and all those detained for fighting on behalf of a better future for their country.”
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