WASHINGTON -- The Biden administration and U.S. lawmakers promised to continue fighting for the freedom of Russian and Belarusian political prisoners as they welcomed Vladimir Kara-Murza back to the U.S. Capitol.
Kara-Murza, whose work with Congress was instrumental in passing the U.S. Magnitsky Act, which sets out sanctions for human rights violators in Russia, was among 16 political prisoners released by the Kremlin last month in exchange for eight Russians held in the West for crimes including murder, cybertheft, and espionage.
The 43-year old Kara-Murza, who was sentenced last year to a quarter-century in prison for his criticism of Russian President Vladimir Putin and the invasion of Ukraine, told a packed room at the Senate building in Washington on September 17 that there were many more political prisoners than the 1,300 indicated in public data and vowed to work with U.S. lawmakers to secure their freedom.
"There are so so many people in Russian prisons today who are there for the only reason that they have opposed, publicly opposed, Putin's murderous war on aggression. It's the fastest-growing segment of Russian prisoners," he said. "Now that I have been saved, I think about all those who have been left behind."
SEE ALSO: Putin 'In The Dock': Freed Activist Pivovarov Says Russian Opposition, Ukrainians Share GoalKara-Murza highlighted the case of Yury Kokhovets, who was sentenced a day earlier by a Moscow court to five years in prison for anti-war comments he made to RFE/RL's Russian Service in July 2022.
U.S. officials and lawmakers who worked to free Kara-Murza were present at the reception and said they will continue to use administrative tools to fight for those left behind in Russian prisons.
"We're not going to stop working on behalf of those who are detained unjustly, and we're not going to forget the purpose of this cause," Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs James O'Brien said. "We have a lot of tools to and we will use them. We will continue to pursue their freedom as we work."
Senator Roger Wicker (Republican-Mississippi) told the audience that he just had a call to discuss plans to punish Russia further for its actions though he did not give any details.
Senator Ben Cardin (Democrat-Maryland), chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, called Kara-Murza's return to Capitol Hill a "day of celebration," but said the United States "must never forget" the other political prisoners left behind in Russia.
"There is a lot more that we need to do," he said.
Senator Jean Shaheen (Democrat-New Hampshire) said the United States must work to free Belarusian political prisoners as well.
Kara-Murza said putting a public spotlight on the political prisoners abroad was more than just talk.
"Whatever the cynics and the skeptics will tell you, advocacy works and public attention protects and public attention saves," he said.
Quarter-Century
Kara-Murza, a close associate of assassinated Russian politician Boris Nemtsov, worked with members of Congress to pass the Magnitsky Act in 2012, which gave the executive branch the right to place sanctions on Russian officials for human rights abuses and corruption.
Putin fought hard to overturn the law, which U.S. presidents have used to target people close to the Kremlin.
Kara-Murza was arrested in April 2022 shortly after returning to Russia from a trip to the United States and Europe, where he spoke out against the invasion.
Putin had weeks earlier outlawed criticism of the war and the Russian armed forces. Russian police and security services were quick to act on it, arresting people for social media posts and public acts.
In explaining his decision at the time to return, Kara-Murza said he was a Russian politician and had to be in his country to be politically relevant.
Representative Steve Cohen (Democrat-Tennesse), who was among the lawmakers actively pushing for his release, told Kara-Murza: "You have been to hell and back. Don't go again."