A resolution recognizing the 100th anniversary of the birth of Dr. Andrei Dmitrievich Sakharov.

III 117TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION S. RES. 239 Recognizing the 100th anniversary of the birth of Dr. Andrei Dmitrievich Sakharov. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES MAY 26, 2021 Mr. MENENDEZ (for himself and Mr. RISCH) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations RESOLUTION Recognizing the 100th anniversary of the birth of Dr. Andrei Dmitrievich Sakharov. Whereas 2021 marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of Dr. Andrei Dmitrievich Sakharov (referred to in this pre- amble as ‘‘Dr. Sakharov’’), who was born on May 21, 1921; Whereas, although the work of Dr. Sakharov as a nuclear physicist earned him international respect and renown, his great genius and gift to history was to give voice to a global yearning for human rights and fundamental freedoms; Whereas, in 1968, in an act of great courage and conscience, Dr. Sakharov published his treatise, ‘‘Thoughts On Progress, Peaceful Coexistence, And Intellectual Free- dom’’, in which he— VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:31 May 27, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR239.IS SR239 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 2 •SRES 239 IS (1) offered a comprehensive vision for peace and progress; (2) broke with the Soviet establishment over human rights; and (3) opened himself up to years of official and state- sponsored retaliation; Whereas, in 1970, Dr. Sakharov helped found the Committee on Human Rights in the Union of Soviet Socialist Repub- lics (referred to in this preamble as the ‘‘USSR’’), which documented human rights abuses in the USSR; Whereas the advocacy of Dr. Sakharov for human rights at home and abroad was grounded in, and emerged from, his work for peace and against nuclear weapons prolifera- tion; Whereas, in his 1975 Nobel Prize acceptance speech, deliv- ered by his wife Yelena Bonner because the USSR had barred him from attending the ceremony, Dr. Sakharov expressed his ‘‘hope in a final victory of the principles of peace and human rights’’ and the ‘‘liberation of all pris- oners of conscience everywhere’’; Whereas the Nobel Peace Prize Committee called Dr. Sakharov ‘‘the spokesman for the conscience of man- kind’’; Whereas the Government of the USSR exiled Dr. Sakharov and Yelena Bonner to the ‘‘closed city’’ of Gorky (now Nizhny Novgorod, Russia) in retaliation for the advocacy of Dr. Sakharov against the USSR invasion of Afghani- stan, which he later called ‘‘a war of annihilation, a ter- rible sin’’; Whereas President Reagan proclaimed May 21, 1983, as Na- tional Andrei Sakharov Day, an occasion for the people VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:31 May 27, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR239.IS SR239 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 3 •SRES 239 IS of the United States to ‘‘reaffirm that, despite attempts at repression, the ideals of peace and freedom will endure and ultimately triumph’’; Whereas Mikhail Gorbachev released Dr. Sakharov and Yelena Bonner from exile in December 1986, one of the most significant steps in implementing a loosening of po- litical controls under perestroika and glasnost; Whereas, in 1989, Dr. Sakharov became a deputy of the Con- gress of People Deputies, the first legislative body in the USSR that permitted debate, which used the moral au- thority of Dr. Sakharov to try to democratize Soviet po- litical processes, including an end to 1-party rule; Whereas the courageous efforts of Dr. Sakharov against to- talitarian repression in the USSR inspired political re- forms that swept Europe throughout 1989; Whereas, on his death in 1989, the White House noted that the voice of Dr. Sakharov ‘‘was an important dimension in the contemporary changes under way in Soviet soci- ety’’, changes that would culminate 2 years later in the collapse of the USSR and Soviet Communism; and Whereas the work Dr. Sakharov began remains unfinished, which is evidenced by the May 18, 2021, cancellation by authorities of the Moscow Sakharov Center’s exhibit marking the centenary of the life of Dr. Sakharov: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Senate— 1 (1) recognizes the historical significance of the 2 contributions made by Dr. Andrei Dmitrievich 3 Sakharov (referred to in this resolution as ‘‘Dr. 4 Sakharov’’) in the promotion of human dignity and 5 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:31 May 27, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\SR239.IS SR239 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 4 •SRES 239 IS political freedom in his own country and around the 1 world; 2 (2) recognizes that the example set by Dr. 3 Sakharov has inspired millions around the world 4 working to promote democratic principles; and 5 (3) expresses support for democracy and human 6 rights activists around the world, especially in Rus- 7 sia, who embody the principles and values practiced 8 by Dr. Sakharov. 9 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:31 May 27, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\SR239.IS SR239 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS