Whereas the Constitution of the Russian Federation guarantees the right to assemble, freedom from censorship, and the freedom of speech and thought to its citizens; Whereas, under the leadership of President Vladimir Putin, the Government of the Russian Federation has failed to protect these ideals and has used the power of the state to diminish the rights of Russians and others within its borders and across the territories Russia unlawfully occupies; Whereas President Putin’s regime has used the power of the state to unlawfully detain individuals committed to fighting corruption within the Russian Federation; Whereas President Putin’s regime has unjustly targeted and detained individuals such as Sergei Magnitsky, who provided evidence that $230,000,000 had been stolen from the Russian treasury by senior Russian officials; Whereas Sergei Magnitsky died at the age of 37 after being denied critical medical care while being unjustly detained in inhuman conditions; Whereas President Putin’s regime also utilizes the power of the state to target political opponents and repress freedom of speech, thought, and expression; Whereas Alexey Navalny, a Russian opposition leader and vocal critic of President Putin, has been unjustly detained and subject to poisoning by the Kremlin; Whereas the Putin regime has also used its power to unjustly detain citizens of the United States; Whereas United States citizen Paul Whelan is currently serving a 16-year prison sentence after being wrongfully detained by the Russian Federation for espionage; Whereas, following Paul Whelan’s conviction on June 15, 2020, the Department of State released a statement demanding his immediate release, and this statement continues to be ignored by the Government of the Russian Federation