State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations for Fiscal Year 2018
STATE, FOREIGN OPERATIONS, AND RELATED PROGRAMS APPROPRIATIONS FOR FISCAL YEAR 2018 WEDNESDAY, MARCH 29, 2017 U.S. SENATE, SUBCOMMITTEE OF THE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS, Washington, DC. The subcommittee met at 2:30 p.m., in room SD–192, Dirksen Senate Office Building, Hon. Lindsey Graham (chairman) pre- siding. Present: Senators Graham, McCain, Leahy, Rubio, Coons, Shaheen, Lankford, Van Hollen, Daines, Merkley, and Murphy. CIVIL SOCIETY PERSPECTIVES ON RUSSIA STATEMENTS OF: VLADIMIR KARA–MURZA, VICE CHAIRMAN OF OPEN RUSSIA LAURA JEWETT, REGIONAL DIRECTOR OF EURASIA PROGRAMS, NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC INSTITUTE JAN ERIK SUROTCHAK, REGIONAL DIRECTOR FOR EUROPE FROM THE INTERNATIONAL REPUBLICAN INSTITUTE OPENING STATEMENT OF SENATOR LINDSEY GRAHAM Senator GRAHAM. The subcommittee will come to order. Our hearing today is on Civil Society Perspectives on Russia. A couple of weeks ago we had a hearing about what Russia is doing regarding frontline states: the Baltics; Ukraine; Georgia; Po- land; how Russia engages neighboring democracies; and the effort of the Putin government to undermine democracy in his backyard. Today we are going to learn what it’s like in Russia itself, the rollback of democracy by the Putin regime, and the biggest victims of all: the Russian people. We have an incredible hearing today. I am very honored to have witnesses who will tell us what’s really going on inside of Russia. Our first witness is Vladimir Kara-Murza, Vice-Chairman of Open Russia. I’ll talk about him just in a moment; Laura Jewett, Senior Associate and Regional Director for Eurasia from the Na- tional Democratic Institute; Jan Surotchak, Regional Director for Europe from the International Republican Institute.
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