Condemning Poisoning of Russian Opposition Leader Alexei Navalny

Floor Speech

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Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from New York for his leadership and for yielding to me. I also want to thank my colleague from New Jersey (Mr. Smith) for all of his commitment, not only on issues of human rights regarding Russia, but human rights in general.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 1145, condemning the poisoning of Russian anti-corruption and opposition leader Alexei Navalny.

Since Vladimir Putin took power in 1999, human rights defenders, journalists, and opposition politicians have suffered relentless persecution. Some have been killed, like Anna Politkovskaya, in 2006, and Boris Nemtsov in 2015. Others, like Alexei Navalny, have been targeted but survived. Navalny was attacked twice with a chemical substance in 2017, likely poisoned in 2019 while in prison, and seriously poisoned in August 2020.

I am thankful that Navalny is recovering from the latest attack, but I regret that the Trump administration's response has been so feeble. Secretary Pompeo issued one statement, days late, and after German experts confirmed the poisoning, in which he merely called for an investigation.

Today, with this resolution, Congress is stepping forward to make clear that the United States is appalled by the attack on Alexei Navalny and supports a robust response.

This resolution:

Condemns the poisoning;

Thanks Germany for facilitating Navalny's transfer to ensure high quality medical care;

Welcomes his recovery;

Calls on the OSCE and human rights bodies to treat his case as a human rights violation;

Calls on the U.S. Government to raise Navalny's poisoning with Russian authorities and to support independent, impartial, and thorough investigations by competent authorities;

Calls for the imposition of Magnitsky sanctions on those responsible for the attack;

And supports a review of whether the poisoning constitutes use of a chemical weapon, with sanctions to follow as appropriate.

This resolution does not punish Germany by calling for the suspension of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. Germany is an ally. It is the Russian Government that is at fault here.

So I want to thank all the cosponsors in the Foreign Affairs Committee for supporting this initiative.

I hope and I pray that the incoming Biden administration will make human rights the centerpiece of U.S. foreign policy going forward. Brave individuals like Alexei Navalny deserve far more than a passing reference from our government's leaders.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all my colleagues to support this resolution.

Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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