Russian-British dissident Vladimir Kara-Murza attends a press conference after being freed in a multi-country prisoner swap in Bonn, Germany, in August, 2024.Leon Kuegeler/Reuters
Two prominent Kremlin critics who’ve been targets of Russian coercion are testifying before MPs Thursday in support of legislation aimed at expanding and toughening Canadian sanctions law.
Vladimir Kara-Murza, a Russian-British opposition politician and dissident who was imprisoned by Moscow, and U.S.-born financier Bill Browder are both appearing at the House of Commons foreign affairs committee to back Bill C-219.
The private member’s bill, sponsored by Conservative MP James Bezan, would make transnational repression an offence punishable by sanctions. This type of repression is when foreign states harass or harm critics to silence them or stifle activism. Those persecuted often include elected officials, political dissidents, human-rights defenders or journalists.
Bill C-219 would also compel Ottawa to publish an annual list of all prisoners of conscience detained by foreign states on whose behalf Canada has been advocating. A prisoner of conscience is an individual who has been detained by their government for their political or religious beliefs. This list would also include details of efforts Canada have made on their behalf.
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Mr. Kara-Murza spent nearly two and a half years in a Siberian penal colony before his release in a 2024 prisoner swap between Russia, Belarus and five other countries including the United States. He had originally been handed a 25-year prison sentence after condemning Russia’s war on Ukraine and urging Western sanctions, such as freezing assets or banning travel, on Russians for human rights violations.
He said the prisoner of conscience list is particularly appealing to him given the support shown by countries including Canada while he was locked up. Canada granted him honourary citizenship in 2023.
“Even on the darkest and most depressing days in that Siberian prison, I never, for a moment, felt that I was forgotten, and for a political prisoner, this knowledge is life-saving,” Mr. Kara-Murza said in an interview.
During his imprisonment, he saw on Russian TV that Moscow had summoned the Canadian, British and U.S. ambassadors for allegedly interfering in Russian affairs. Later, he learned they had held an impromptu news conference on the steps of a Moscow courthouse to denounce his prison sentence. “The free world has a moral obligation to stand with those people who are in jails only because they have a conscience,” said Mr. Kara-Murza.
Under Bill C-219, any immediate family members of individuals targeted by Canadian sanctions would also be barred from travelling to Canada. These family members could apply for an exemption if they receive no benefit from the target individual.
The legislation would also compel the foreign affairs minister to respond to a recommendation by a Parliamentary committee to impose sanctions on a foreign national. The minister would be required to respond to this by either acting or justifying inaction.
Prime Minister Mark Carney’s governing Liberal Party, which has a majority in the House of Commons, says Mr. Bezan’s bill contains worthwhile reforms that would modernize Canada’s role in defending human rights. But it declined to signal outright support, saying the Liberals want changes before they could back it.
Mr. Kara-Murza is appearing before the Commons committee in person, and Mr. Browder is testifying by teleconference.
Bill Browder said he can’t see why any MP would fail to back Bill C-219.Luke MacGregor
Mr. Browder’s tax adviser Sergei Magnitsky was arrested in 2008 and died in a Russian detention centre in 2009 after being beaten, according to investigators, following his uncovering of a massive fraud scheme by Russian officials. This prompted the financier to lead a global campaign for accountability. Russia responded by convicting Mr. Browder in absentia, repeatedly trying to have him arrested through Interpol, and waging a legal and propaganda war while he successfully lobbied many countries, including Canada, to adopt a law targeting human-rights abusers.
Mr. Browder said he can’t see why any MP would fail to back this bill. “This is kind of like motherhood and apple pie for them – to not back it would make no sense,” he said. “The improvements are all things that are in the national interest of Canada – that are logical and that put dictators and kleptocrats on notice.”
The bill would rename Canada’s Special Economic Measures Act, or SEMA, a principal tool for imposing sanctions, after Mr. Magnitsky, the whistleblower.
Canada already has a law that names Mr. Magnitsky: the Justice for Victims of Corrupt Foreign Officials Act, or JVCFOA. It’s also called the Sergei Magnitsky Law and received royal assent in Canada in late 2017.
Mr. Kara-Murza and Mr. Browder were instrumental in convincing Canada and more than 30 countries including European Union states to pass Magnitsky-style laws – legislation that allows governments to sanction foreign nationals responsible for human rights abuses or corruption.
Ottawa has made relatively little use of this second piece − the JVCFOA legislation – preferring to implement sanctions through SEMA.
A spokesperson for Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand said the Liberals want changes.
“Bill C-219 is well-intentioned and includes important measures to modernize our approach, some provisions as currently drafted could inadvertently undermine the safety of Canadians, create needless red tape, and hinder the effectiveness of sanctions,” Myah Tomasi, press secretary for Ms. Anand, said in a statement.
“We will continue to have constructive discussions in Parliament to strengthen and refine this bill to get it to a place we can support.”