Bill Text: NJ AR124 | 2024-2025 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Condemns actions of Russian Federation and Vladimir Putin for events leading up to death of Alexei Navalny.
Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 4-1)
Status: (Introduced) 2024-04-04 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Oversight, Reform and Federal Relations Committee [AR124 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2024-AR124-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman ALIXON COLLAZOS-GILL
District 27 (Essex and Passaic)
Assemblyman HERB CONAWAY, JR.
District 7 (Burlington)
Co-Sponsored by:
Assemblyman Rodriguez and Assemblywoman Quijano
SYNOPSIS
Condemns actions of Russian Federation and Vladimir Putin for events leading up to death of Alexei Navalny.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Assembly Resolution condemning the actions of the Russian Federation and Vladimir Putin for the events leading up to the death of Alexei Navalny.
Whereas, Alexei Navalny was an outspoken critic of Vladimir Putin and an opposition leader who organized massive pro-democracy, anti-corruption protests; and
Whereas, Navalny was convicted and received suspended sentences twice on criminal charges, with one instance occurring in 2013 and one in 2014; and
Whereas, Russian election officials barred Navalny from running against Vladimir Putin in the 2018 presidential election due to one of his convictions; and
Whereas, Navalny survived an assassination attempt in August 2020, in which he was poisoned with a military-grade nerve agent and medically evacuated to Germany for treatment; and
Whereas, Following Navalny's return to Russia in 2021, he was immediately arrested based on accusations of parole violations while in Germany; and
Whereas, The suspended sentence was replaced with a prison sentence of two and an half years, followed by an additional nine-year sentence for embezzlement and contempt of court and a 19-year sentence for extremism; and
Whereas, Navalny was reportedly subjected to inhumane conditions while in prison, including solitary confinement, extreme cold, unsanitary conditions, and harsh beatings; and
Whereas, Navalny was pronounced dead on February 16, 2024, at the age of 47, while imprisoned at the IK-3 penal colony, which is considered to be one of the toughest prisons in Russia; and
Whereas, More than 400 people were detained while attending memorials for Navalny across 32 Russian cities, and additional people were detained and arrested on the day of Navalny's funeral; and
Whereas, It is altogether fitting and proper to condemn the actions of the Russian Federation and Vladimir Putin to eliminate political opposition, leading to Alexei Navalny's imprisonment and death; now, therefore,
Be It Resolved by the General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. This House condemns the actions of the Russian Federation and Vladimir Putin for the events leading up to Alexei Navalny's death.
2. Copies of this resolution, as filed with the Secretary of State, shall be transmitted by the Clerk of the General Assembly to the United States Secretary of State, every member of Congress elected from this State, the Ambassador of the Russian Federation to the United States, and the Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the United Nations.
STATEMENT
This resolution condemns the actions of the Russian Federation and Vladimir Putin for the events leading up to the death of Alexei Navalny.
Navalny was an outspoken critic of Vladimir Putin and an opposition leader who organized massive pro-democracy, anti-corruption protests. Navalny was convicted and received suspended sentences twice on criminal charges, which led Russian election officials to bar Navalny from running against Vladimir Putin in the 2018 presidential election.
In August 2020, Navalny was poisoned with a military-grade nerve agent and medically evacuated to Germany for treatment. Upon his return to Russia in 2021, he was immediately arrested due to accusations that he violated his parole conditions. After his arrest, he received multiple prison sentences. The time Navalny spent in prison was reportedly inhumane for reasons such as solitary confinement, extreme cold, unsanitary conditions, and harsh beatings. Navalny was pronounced dead on February 16, 2024, at the age of 47, while imprisoned at the IK-3 penal colony, and many people were detained and arrested for attending his funeral as well as various memorials across Russia.
The General Assembly of the State of New Jersey joins the rest of the world in condemning the Russian Federation and Vladimir Putin's relentless targeting of Alexei Navalny to silence his message of resistance against corruption, which ultimately resulted in his death.
