WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senators Ben Cardin (D-Md.) and Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Chair and Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, hailed committee passage of their bipartisan resolution calling for the immediate release of Evan Gershkovich.
“The passage of today’s bipartisan resolution represents a resounding message of support for Evan Gershkovich – an American Wall Street Journal reporter who is being unjustly imprisoned in Russia – and strongly reaffirms that journalism should never be silenced by persecution or intimidation,” said Chair Cardin. “As Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, I will do everything in my power to ensure our call for Evan’s freedom reverberates in the corridors of the Kremlin, reaching Vladimir Putin with clarity and conviction.”
“The Committee’s ongoing commitment to defending the rights and safety of all Americans facing wrongful detainment overseas is unbreakable, as is our shared responsibility to uphold the principles of justice, freedom, and human dignity,” continued Chair Cardin. “All of us proudly stand in solidarity with Evan during his hour of need, as well as other unjustly detained Americans, including Paul Whelan, Alsu Kurmasheva, and Vladimir Kara-Murza.”
“It’s been over a year since Evan Gershkovich was jailed for doing his job – reporting on Russia’s brutal war against Ukraine,” said Ranking Member Risch. “My resolution, which passed out of committee today with unanimous support, calls for Evan’s immediate release and serves as a reminder to all Americans wrongfully detained in Russia that we will do everything we can to ensure they return home safely.”
In addition to Senators Cardin and Risch, cosponsors of this resolution include Senators Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Bob Casey (D-Pa.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Mitt Romney (R-Utah), Mark Warner (D-Va.), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.), Tim Scott (R-S.C.), Todd Young (R-Ind.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), James Lankford (R-Okla.), John Fetterman (D-Pa.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.), and Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.).
Text of this resolution can be found here.
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