S8170 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE December 20, 2017 Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, I ask Alexei Sheshenia also reportedly VENEZUELA HUMANITARIAN unanimous consent that the order for played key roles in both the 2006 theft CRISIS the quorum call be rescinded. of the $107 million in taxes paid by The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without RenGaz and in the 2007 theft of the $230 Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, a second objection, it is so ordered. million of taxes paid by Hermitage. I subject that I wish to talk about today on human rights deals with the col- f understand that in both tax thefts, shell companies beneficially owned by lapse in Venezuela. I come to the floor 2017 SERGEI MAGNITSKY to speak about Venezuela’s growing hu- SANCTIONS LIST Alexei Sheshenia used forged backdated contracts to obtain judg- manitarian tragedy and accelerating Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, I wish to ments against companies that paid a economic collapse. take this time to talk about two mat- significant amount of taxes. Late last June, here on the Senate ters of human rights, which I know the floor, I described Venezuela as a nearly Ramzan Kadyrov is a renowned Presiding Officer has been very much failed State, where authoritarian lead- human rights abuser who has brutally engaged with as an active member of ers profit from links to corruption and run the Republic of Chechnya for more the Senate Foreign Relations Com- drug trafficking, while the Venezuelan than 10 years. Under his rule, human mittee. I want to share this informa- people are subject to precarious hu- rights offenders have been murdered, tion with our colleagues. manitarian conditions and human and gay men have disappeared. He has This month marks the fifth anniver- rights abuses. Disturbingly, the situa- sary of the 2012 Sergei Magnitsky Rule destroyed any semblance of the rule of tion has only deteriorated since the of Law and Accountability Act. Today, law in the Republic. Over the course of time I was last on the floor talking with the publication of five new sanc- his time in power, there have been about the circumstances. tions designations, the citizens of the credible allegations of his directing as- Russian Federation—many of whom sassinations deployed across Russia With Venezuela’s humanitarian crisis strive for a future governed by the rule and Europe. Human rights groups have growing daily, conditions facing Ven- of law—can claim a small victory over documented many cases of torture and ezuelan children are particularly dire. oppression. I hope that today’s news extrajudicial killings by forces under This week, the New York Times pub- provides a semblance of justice for the his control. lished a heartbreaking investigation of family of Sergei Magnitsky and those how Venezuelan children dying of hun- Ayub Kataev is a prison warden and who continue to fight against corrup- ger. It states: head of the branch of the Chechen in- tion and human rights abuses across ternal affairs ministry. Earlier this Parents go days without eating, shriveling the country. to the weight of children themselves. Women The Magnitsky list now includes 49 year, Chechen authorities reportedly set up concentration camps for gay line up at sterilization clinics to avoid hav- names—an important testament to the ing children they cannot feed. Boys leave central importance that accountability men under his control. He certainly be- home to join street gangs that scavenge for and human rights should play in U.S. longs on this list. scraps. . . . Crowds of adults storm foreign policy. Since 2012, Senator MCCAIN and I dumpsters after restaurants close. Babies die I think the Members of this body are have conducted rigorous oversight to because it is hard to find or afford infant for- familiar with the circumstances sur- ensure robust implementation of the mula, even in emergency rooms. rounding Sergei Magnitsky’s death. He Magnitsky law. In 2016, we wrote to the That is in our hemisphere in Ven- was a young lawyer in Russia rep- State Department with certain sugges- ezuela. resenting a company. He discovered tions for inclusions on the list relevant corruption, and he did what any lawyer The Catholic relief organization to the death of Sergei Magnitsky. We Caritas has determined that over 50 should do. He reported it to the au- also expressed concerns that the alle- thorities. As a result, he was arrested. percent of the children are suffering gations of torture in Chechnya against from nutritional deficiencies. They He was tortured, denied medical care, gay men and other human rights viola- and died in prison. project that 280,000 Venezuelan chil- tions in the North Caucasus should be dren could eventually die of hunger As a result of that, legislation was investigated. I am pleased they took introduced. I was proud to sponsor it without an urgently needed humani- action that was responsive to both of tarian response. with my good friend Senator MCCAIN. our inquiries. It was enacted into law, as I said, 5 As the Venezuelans increasingly suf- years ago. It holds those who per- I want my colleagues to know that I fer the ravages of hunger, the country’s petrate these violations of human do believe this administration has con- hospital system is collapsing. Essential rights accountable by denying them ducted the review on the Magnitsky medicines are in short supply, and the right to visit our country—visa ap- list the way it should have been—keep- more than half of the Nation’s oper- plications—or to use our banking sys- ing in close contact with Members of ating facilities no longer function or tems. the Senate. I think the result speaks to have sufficient supplies. Disturbingly, The five additions to this list include the quality of work that was done in international relief organizations have Andrei Pavlov, Yulia Mayorova, and this year’s list. found that over 60 percent of the Ven- Alexei Sheshenya for their roles in the America’s values are our interests. ezuelan hospitals don’t even have pota- Magnitsky case and Ramzan Kadyrov As a country, we must remain stead- ble water. and Ayub Kataev for gross violations of fastly committed to the principles em- Amid these crisis conditions, Ven- human rights. I appreciate the work of bedded in the Magnitsky law—account- ezuelan President Maduro repeatedly career officials at the Treasury and ability, the rule of law, and respect for denies the existence of this country’s State Departments for their work in human rights. The American people ex- investigating and designating these humanitarian crisis. He has even taken pect U.S. policymakers to advance to the unprecedented step of setting up important cases. these principles in all aspects of our Andrei Pavlov is a Russian lawyer a party-controlled food distribution diplomatic relations. I welcome today’s who played a central role orchestrating system referred to as CLAPS, and his announcement and also expect the first the false claims used in the $230 mil- government now uses food as a tool of publication of the ‘‘Global Magnitsky’’ lion tax fraud that Sergei Magnitsky political patronage. sanctions designations this week. uncovered. His addition to the The result is that the United States Magnitsky list is long overdue, as he As the Presiding Officer is well and our partners in the hemisphere played an essential role in the plot. aware, we have recently passed the now confront the situation where the Yulia Mayorova is the former wife of ‘‘Global Magnitsky’’ law that applies Maduro regime would rather see its Pavlov and a Russian lawyer. She also similar standards for human rights vio- people go hungry than accept the for- reportedly played a role in helping to lations globally. That list should be eign assistance the Venezuelans des- facilitate the fraud uncovered by made available, we hope, sometime perately need. This man-made tragedy Sergei Magnitsky. this week. is absolutely unacceptable.

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