Political Quotes

“of the many global challenges we face, protecting the environment should find support in all corners of the world. Similarly, we should support those who work on behalf of the environment. Unfortunately, in some countries, environmental activists are threatened and imprisoned. Such is the case in Russia, where, in the shadow of the Olympic Games in Sochi this past winter, Suren Gazaryan and Evgeny Vitishko were ruthlessly harassed by government officials for their investigative work on the large-scale construction of Olympic facilities that caused significant environmental damage to protected lands. Both were convicted in 2012 of damaging a fence in a forest near the city of Krasnodar, a charge they both deny, and sentenced to 3 years in a labor camp, suspended. Mr. Gazaryan, a recipient of the prestigious 2014 Goldman Prize for grassroots efforts to protect and enhance the environment, has sought political asylum in neighboring Estonia. Evgeny Vitishko, however, was not fortunate enough to escape and is still paying the price for his work. On February 12, a Russian judge, upholding a decision that Mr. Vitishko violated a curfew clause in his parole agreement, ordered him to serve his 3-year prison sentence. Perhaps not coincidentally, this came as he and his organization, Environmental Watch of the North Caucasus, were preparing to release a report on the damaging effects of construction in Sochi. I want other Senators to know of Mr. Gazaryan and Mr.…”