The leaders of the House Foreign Affairs Committee are calling out Russia for jailing protesters ahead of local elections in Moscow Sunday that many are claiming will not see a fair vote.

Thousands of Russians have taken to the streets in recent weeks to rally peacefully for fair elections. Over 2,000 demonstrators have been arrested and jailed by local police since the protests began early this summer.

Moscow voters had hoped to see a more diverse field of candidates in its legislature election this Sunday, but claim the government of Russian President Vladimir Putin illegally blocked several opposition candidates from the ballot.

In a statement released Thursday, committee Chairman Rep. Eliot Engel, New York Democrat, and ranking member Rep. Michael McCaul, Texas Republican, wrote that the protests and the crackdown “are further proof that the people of Russia are tired of Vladimir Putin’s tyrannical ways, and that Putin will stop at nothing to use extreme measures to crush any and all political dissent.”

On Wednesday, a Russian court sentenced two protesters to 3 1/2 years in prison for attacking police officers at a demonstration earlier in the week, Reuters reported — the longest jail terms handed out from the recent unrest.

The lawmakers called on Moscow to end violence against the demonstrators and release any protester that is being “unjustly held.”

Mr. Engel and Mr. McCaul pressed the Trump administration to impose new sanctions on any “individuals responsible for these gross violations of human rights in Russia.”

“We stand with the Russian people in their pursuit of the rights and freedoms to which they … should be fully entitled,” the members wrote. “We intend to work closely with the administration to ensure we hold those responsible to account.”

Sign up for Daily Newsletters Manage Newsletters

Copyright © 2020 The Washington Times, LLC. Click here for reprint permission.