On The Senate Floor, Durbin Urges The Release Of Political Prisoners From Russia, Belarus, Algeria, Cambodia, And Guatemala

“We know what Vladimir Putin is up to in Ukraine. His cruelty and cynicism were on full display when he decided that he would invade Ukraine and bring it back into the Soviet orbit. He [Putin] tried to silence anyone in Russia who might dissent from his strategy…anyone who might have the audacity to suggest there should be democracy or freedom in that country. He sent one of his harshest critics to prison and he moves him around. His name is Alexei Navalny. Why is he there? Vladimir Putin can’t allow that man to be out of prison and speak about Putin or his agenda. So, he puts him in prison and silences him.Fellow patriot Vladimir Kara-Murza remains jailed by Putin on nonsense charges and fears of what they represent… He sits in prison today [in a country where] there is no freedom… We must not allow Putin to prevail in Ukraine. I am saddened and angered that some of my colleagues in the United States Congress have grown tired of the cause of the Ukrainians in defeating Vladimir Putin and have decided they want to move on to other things. We cannot give up on our own values, and the Ukrainians are fighting for our values today and dying in the process.In 2020, millions of Belarusian voters turned out to vote for a better future, not the Soviet-era dystopia Lukashenko and Putin are trying to impose there and on their Ukrainian neighbors. That is what this larger debate on the supplemental funding is all about.Such repression is a tragic setback to the country’s vibrant free press that emerged after Algeria’s terrible civil war. Amnesty International, the Committee to Protect Journalists, and the European Union are among those whom I join in calling for his [Ihsane El Kadi] immediate release.What we do here matters around the world, for the large and small battles occurring for freedom and democracy. I can only hope in the days ahead they will get the message to the individuals that I’ve highlighted today that they are not forgotten, that they do not languish in prison unknown to the rest of the world. We have to speak up for these people. Justice not only in the United States, but justice around the world. And it makes a difference.I encourage my colleagues on both sides of the aisle: look into the issue yourself—find those people who are unjustly imprisoned for political reasons in these autocratic regimes and give them a word of encouragement yourself on the floor of the Senate. Amazingly, it does make a difference. I’ve seen many released, and I hope to see more in the future. Making these speeches highlighting what they’re going through may seem like a waste of time for some, but it is not. It is a valuable investment in the values which we share with these amazing people around the world.

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