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Boxer, Murphy, Shaheen, McCain Urge Focus on Russia’s Repressive, Discriminatory Policies at G-20 Summit

U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer

For Immediate Release:
August 30, 2013
Contact: Washington D.C. Office (202) 224-3553
Boxer, Murphy, Shaheen, McCain Urge Focus on Russia’s Repressive, Discriminatory Policies at G-20 Summit – Senators Ask President Obama to Call Attention to Violations of Basic Freedoms Under Russian President, Including Jailing of Opposition Figures and Laws Targeting NGOs and the LGBT Community

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Christopher Murphy (D-CT), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), and John McCain (R-AZ), all members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today sent a letter to President Obama urging him to use his upcoming trip to the G-20 Leaders’ Summit in St. Petersburg, Russia, as an opportunity to call attention to the Russian government’s ongoing crackdown on human rights and civil society. The Summit begins on September 5.

“The United States must not give President Putin a free pass on repression,” the Senators wrote. “We hope we can count on you to prioritize advancing human rights as a central objective of U.S. relations with Russia.”

In the letter, Senators Boxer, Murphy, Shaheen and McCain called for a renewed focus by the U.S. and its allies on Russia’s deteriorating human rights situation and the government’s assault on basic freedoms—including criminalizing peaceful speech, discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation, imprisoning those who criticize President Putin or his security force allies, and harassing and intimidating lawyers who stand up for human rights defenders.

The Senators wrote, “Russia is a great power with enormous potential to help solve the world’s problems. But great powers should respect international human rights norms and uphold the rule of law both at home and abroad.”