Under the 30-year dictatorship of Alyaksandr Lukashenka, Belarus has become one of the most isolated and dangerous countries in Europe. Lukashenka and his regime have destroyed and uprooted many lives—jailing over a thousand political prisoners in horrific conditions, blatantly falsifying elections, and engaging in mass repressions leading to an exodus of civil society from the […]

On November 19, one thousand days will have passed since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Russia’s war, rooted in its centuries-long history of violent imperialism, has brought terror and tragedy to Ukrainian soil. Ukrainians have fought courageously for their survival and the freedom and independence of their country while Russian forces have engaged […]

Cannon House Office Building, Room 210 Since the outset of Russia’s genocidal invasion of Ukraine, the United States and NATO have sought to avoid direct confrontation with Russia by conditioning Ukraine’s use of military aid, including severely restricting their use of long-range weapons inside of Russia. However, Russia is already engaged in a shadow war […]

Russia’s war of territorial conquest and genocide in Ukraine is rooted in years of unrestrained authoritarianism and imperialism. The scale of Russia’s physical brutality and the rhetoric perpetuating it brings the imperial nature of both contemporary and historical Russia into stark relief. Unlike European colonial empires which were forced to relinquish territory and atone for […]

  In July, bipartisan members of the Helsinki Commission leadership from the House and Senate and other senior members of Congress visited Armenia to observe for themselves the fruits of Armenia’s democratic and increasingly pro-West orientation. Members observed Armenia’s precarious strategic situation, but also its profound resilience, democratic example in the region, and sociopolitical consensus in […]

Independent Ukraine has enjoyed a robust tradition of religious freedom. As such, Ukrainians today represent a variety of faiths, including many Christian denominations. Unfortunately, Russia—which has little tolerance for independent belief systems within its own borders—has exported its worst practices to the territories it occupies in Ukraine. Russia has engaged in routine kidnapping, hostage-taking, violence […]

For over 13 years, the Assad regime has been perpetrating war crimes and other grave human rights abuses against the Syrian people. The Russian support to the regime has been critical in perpetuating these atrocities. The hearing will address the extent of the suffering inflicted upon the Syrian people and examine the broader implications of […]

WASHINGTON—Across the globe, individuals continue to be targeted, arrested, and imprisoned for peacefully exercising their rights to freedom of speech, assembly, and association. Persecution on political grounds represents a fundamental violation of human rights and democratic principles. Autocrats and dictators’ unjust detention of political prisoners undermines the rule of law, stifles free expression, and erodes […]

WASHINGTON—The recent adoption of a Russian-style foreign agent law heralds an openly anti-western turn by the ruling Georgian Dream government, and their concomitant alignment with Russia as well as other authoritarian powers such as China. After three decades of a pro-west, democratizing, and Euro-Atlantic-facing strategic agenda, Georgia’s government is clearly and violently breaking faith with […]

WASHINGTON—The recent, bipartisan passage of supplemental aid for Ukraine may represent a turning point in the war against Russia’s genocidal invasion. Outgunned and outmanned, Ukrainian forces have lost territory in recent months, but made Russian forces pay a tremendous cost for ultimately moderate territorial gains, with Russian forces suffering nearly 90,000 casualties in taking several […]

  WASHINGTON—The Republic of Malta stepped up to take leadership of the world’s largest regional security organization—the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE)—demonstrating its commitment to uphold the principles of the organization, including on security, conflict resolution, democracy and human rights.  Two years into Putin’s brutal, full-scale invasion of Ukraine, much of the […]

Session One: Russian crimes against Ukraine’s children, women, and civilians, as well as the use of new technologies in the collection of evidence Session Two: Holding the Russian state and affiliated individuals accountable through courts and international mechanisms Congresswomen Jackson Lee’s Audio Statement from for the Field Hearing: “Lessons from Nuremberg”