Vladimir Kara-Murza

Floor Speech

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Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, last week, we learned the most recent winners of the Pulitzer Prize. I am pleased that among this year's winners is a friend of mine who made it his life's work to help bring democracy and freedom to his home country of Russia: Vladimir Kara- Murza.

This is a photograph of him in Moscow at an earlier time.

Vladimir Putin's government has tried to kill this man repeatedly, to silence him in the uniquely Vladimir Putin way--poison him--but each time, Vladimir survived and continued his work, including writing a regular column for the Washington Post about the need for change in Russia.

While he and his family became residents of the United States, he insisted on maintaining his home in Russia. Two years ago, he came to see me before returning to Russia. I will never forget asking Vladimir about his decision to return. He was unequivocal. He felt he had to return. His aspirations were simple. He believed in a better future for Russia, one in which Russians could live in a free and prosperous society and be at peace with their neighbors.

Unsurprisingly, shortly after he returned to Russia after visiting with me, Vladimir Putin had him arrested and jailed. But Kara-Murza has remained steadfast in his opposition to Putin. He continues his writings from Putin's gulag--deeply thoughtful pieces that offer a different vision of Russia's future. For example, the titles of recent pieces he has written include ``Even from a Russian prison, I can see Putin's weakness'' and ``I am proud to have spoken out against Putin's crimes in Ukraine.'' It was this powerful writing that won him international recognition and a Pulitzer Prize.

I want to congratulate him and to thank his family for their courage on receiving this prestigious award. Most importantly, I want to remind him that what he is doing is not ignored, nor forgotten.

To Vladimir Putin, I say: Your folly in Ukraine and domestic repression cannot hide the light of Kara-Murza's moving words.

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