WASHINGTON—Today, Dr. Dafna H. Rand, Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor made the below statement following her appointment to the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, also known as the U.S. Helsinki Commission: “I am deeply honored to serve as a White House-appointed Helsinki Commissioner. Respect for human rights and dignity […]

WASHINGTON—Today, the U.S. Helsinki Commission staff published a new report entitled “Contesting Russia: Preparing for the Long-Term Russian Threat.” The report highlights the need for a durable and comprehensive strategy to contest Russia as it continues to act as an imperial power—threatening its neighbors, the United States, and the democratic world. Focusing on the OSCE […]

Cannon House Office Building, Room 210 Stream live here 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 […]

2358-C Rayburn House Office Building Stream live here 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 […]

Dirksen Senate Office Building, Room 419 Stream live here 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 […]

WASHINGTON—Today, U.S. Helsinki Commission Ranking Member Representative Steve Cohen (TN-09), OSCE PA Special Representative on Political Prisoners, called on Alyaksandr Lukashenka to provide proof of life for Mikalai Statkevich and release him immediately. Mr. Statkevich is a Belarusian politician and former presidential candidate who has been wrongfully detained as a political prisoner since 2020 and held […]

WASHINGTON—Today, U.S. Helsinki Commission Chairman Rep. Joe Wilson (SC-02), Co-Chairman Sen. Ben Cardin (MD), Ranking Member Rep. Steve Cohen (TN-09), and Ranking Member Sen. Roger Wicker (MS) celebrated the release of several individuals who were unjustly detained in Russia, including former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, American journalists Evan Gershkovich and Alsu Kurmasheva, and Russian opposition […]

WASHINGTON—Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-9), the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe’s 56-nation Parliamentary Assembly’s Special Representative on Political Prisoners, today welcomed news that three journalists and Paul Whelan, wrongly detained and imprisoned by Russian authorities on trumped-up charges, have been released in a prisoner exchange. Congressman Cohen made the following statement: “I have been […]

Tuesday, July 16, 2024 2:00 p.m. Rayburn House Office Building, Room 2322 Stream live here WASHINGTON—In the ten years since Russia launched its war of aggression against Ukraine, Ukraine estimates that Russia has inflicted some $60 billion in damages to Ukraine’s natural and man-made environments and pushed Ukraine to the brink of ecological collapse.  Vast […]

Rayburn 2247 Stream live here WASHINGTON—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 […]

Rayburn 2212 Stream live here 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, […]

Thursday, June 20, 2024 2:00 p.m. Cannon House Office Building Room 210 WASHINGTON—In 2012, Russia adopted a foreign agents law which has been used repeatedly to crack down on independent civil society and opposition, closing organizations and jailing dissenters. Over the past several years, there has been a proliferation of Russian-style foreign agents laws in […]