SJR160

A Joint Resolution urging the United States Department of State to take action to secure the release of James “Jimmy” Wilgus from wrongful imprisonment in Russia.

Whereas, James Vincent Wilgus, referred to as “Jimmy” by his family and friends, is a New Jersey native wrongfully detained by the Russian government; and

Whereas, In 2016, Jimmy, a talented musician, composer, and singer who performed across Eastern Europe, was in Russia producing a movie soundtrack for a Russian director; and

Whereas, On November 7, 2016, he was ambushed in a Moscow street by four men who forcibly took him to a police station; and

Whereas, After being compelled to sign a document, the content of which was in Russian and indecipherable to Jimmy and which he understood was necessary for him to be released, the police took him to a detention center where he stayed for nearly 18 months before any charge was brought against him; and

Whereas, Jimmy was sentenced to 12 years in prison after being convicted on allegedly false charges based on a forced confession and fabricated evidence following a trial that was closed to all American embassy personnel and others who may have provided aid to Jimmy; and

Whereas, Since then, Jimmy has been imprisoned in penal colonies in the Mordovia and Ryazan regions, where he remains to this day a victim of a broken and unjust judicial system, and whose wrongful detention has been the longest among all American prisoners in Russia; and

Whereas, The penal colony in Ryazan at which Jimmy is being held is notorious for its harsh conditions and human rights violations, and the imprisonment has caused significant health problems for Jimmy, including a stroke in 2022; and

Whereas, The Russian authorities have refused to provide necessary medical care, including magnetic resonance imaging scans, thus demonstrating an urgent need to secure Jimmy’s release as soon as possible; and

Whereas, The “Robert Levinson Hostage Recovery and Hostage-Taking Accountability Act,” enacted in 2020, requires the United States Secretary of State to review the cases of Americans detained abroad to determine if there is credible information that they are being detained unlawfully or wrongfully; and

Whereas, The law also authorizes the United States Secretary of State to negotiate the release of Americans deemed unlawfully and wrongfully detained abroad through the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs; and

Whereas, Jimmy Wilgus has been wrongfully imprisoned for a decade, and the United States Department of State has not enforced the provisions of federal law in place to aid Jimmy and his family; and

Whereas, It is in the best interest of the State to ensure that the citizens of New Jersey abroad are afforded the same protections under the law as they have at home, such as due process and proscription of cruel and unusual punishment; now, therefore,

Be It Resolved by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

1. The State of New Jersey urges the United States Department of State to secure the release of James “Jimmy” Vincent Wilgus from wrongful imprisonment in Russia by enforcing the provisions of the “Robert Levinson Hostage Recovery and Hostage-Taking Accountability Act.”

2. Copies of this resolution, as filed with the Secretary of State, shall be transmitted by the Clerk of the General Assembly or the Secretary of the Senate to the United States Secretary of State, the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs, and each member of Congress elected from this State.

3. This joint resolution shall take effect immediately.

STATEMENT

This joint resolution urges the United States Secretary of State to take action to secure the release of James “Jimmy” Vincent Wilgus from wrongful imprisonment in Russia.

Jimmy Wilgus is a New Jersey native who has been wrongfully detained by the Russian government since 2016. The lack of due process in the Russian judicial system has culminated in Jimmy’s decade-long imprisonment in penal colonies. His wrongful detention has been the longest among all American prisoners in Russia.

The penal colony in Ryazan at which Jimmy is being held is notorious for its harsh conditions and human rights violations, and the imprisonment has caused significant health problems for Jimmy, including a stroke in 2022. This demonstrates an urgent need to secure Jimmy’s release as soon as possible.

The “Robert Levinson Hostage Recovery and Hostage-Taking Accountability Act” requires the United States Secretary of State to negotiate the release of Americans deemed unlawfully and wrongfully detained abroad. Thus far, the United States Department of State has not taken any action to enforce this law on behalf of Jimmy and his family. It is therefore appropriate for the State to urge the United States Department of State to take necessary measures to secure Jimmy’s release.