Released Russian Dissident Kara-Murza Visits US Congress, Reports Reuters

By Patricia Zengerle

WASHINGTON – Russian activist Vladimir Kara-Murza expressed disbelief as he spoke to lawmakers and diplomats in a U.S. Senate hearing room on Tuesday, just weeks after his release from a Siberian prison during a significant prisoner swap.

"The word surreal doesn’t even begin to capture what I feel right now," the dissident stated at an event aimed at shedding light on the plight of hundreds of political prisoners still held in Russia.

During Kara-Murza’s visit, Democratic Senator Ben Cardin, who chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, is expected to introduce the Bridge Act. This legislation aims to protect Russians and Belarusians working to promote democracy in their home countries.

The Bridge Act would, among other provisions, authorize funding to support independent media and civil society initiatives in Russia, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia, as well as to assist dissidents living abroad.

Kara-Murza was released on August 1 after serving part of a 25-year sentence for treason, which stemmed from his criticism of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s military actions in Ukraine targeting civilian areas. His release followed a prolonged advocacy campaign that included letters from members of Congress and a resolution demanding his freedom.

"Whatever the cynics and skeptics may say, advocacy is effective, and public attention protects lives," Kara-Murza asserted.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has emerged as a staunch ally of Putin since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, a campaign that included operations from Belarusian territory.

Lukashenko, who has been in power since 1994, denies the existence of political prisoners in Belarus, despite employing severe crackdowns on protests that erupted in 2020 amid allegations of election fraud, which led to thousands of arrests.

Recently, Lukashenko signed a decree pardoning 37 individuals convicted of crimes attributed to "extremism," according to state media reports.