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WASHINGTON—Rep. Joe Wilson (SC-02), Chairman of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, also known as the U.S. Helsinki Commission, today announced the appointment of Michael Geffroy as General Counsel to the Commission. “The Helsinki Commission welcomes Mr. Geffroy. His rich national security, legal, and military background, as well as his service at senior levels in the Congress, the Department of Justice, the Department of the Treasury, and in the private sector, make him uniquely qualified to advise the Commission as General Counsel.” said Chairman Joe Wilson. “Michael is a great addition to the Commission. His deep experience across legislative and executive branch roles will help inform our work to advance American interests and cooperation abroad,” added the Commission’s Executive Director Dr. Steven Schrage. “I am honored to join the Commission and work with Chairman Wilson, Co-Chairman Senator Benjamin Cardin, and Commission team,” said Geffroy. “With multiple global challenges and very real multi-faceted threats confronting the United States and our allies, this is a vital time for the Commission.” Mr. Geffroy has previously served in the Congress as the General Counsel to the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, as the Deputy Staff Director and Chief Counsel to the Committee on Homeland Security in the U.S. House of Representatives, and as the Deputy Special Counsel to the Select Bipartisan Committee to Investigate Preparation for and Response to Hurricane Katrina. Mr. Geffroy also served as an Assistant Director in the Office of Foreign Assets Control at the Department of the Treasury, as a Counselor to the Assistant Attorney General, Criminal Division at the Department of Justice, and as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the District of Columbia. Mr. Geffroy is a veteran and Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve (ret). His more than 25 years of commissioned service includes tours with the First Marine Expeditionary Force in Afghanistan and Iraq. His first day at the Commission was June 5, 2023

WASHINGTON—Yesterday, members of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, also known as the U.S. Helsinki Commission, Chairman Representative Joe Wilson (SC-02), Ranking Member Representative Steve Cohen (TN-09) and Commissioner Representative Victoria Spartz (IN-05) sent a letter to President Biden, requesting he grant reexport licenses to Denmark, the Netherlands, and Norway to allow for the transfer of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine.    In the letter, Commissioners reflect on recent meetings in Ukraine, where President Zelensky explained that F-16s would not only save Ukrainian lives but protect sea lanes that secure the world’s wheat supply. These powerful weapons could provide the advantage Ukraine needs to secure its freedom, and the only remaining hurdle to their delivery is the President’s approval.     The letter reads:   Dear President Biden,   We urge you to grant reexport license to Denmark, the Netherlands, and Norway to allow for the transfer of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine. These countries have all expressed a willingness to transfer these powerful capabilities that are so critical to full Ukrainian victory.     When our delegation traveled to Kyiv and met with President Volodymyr Zelensky the other week, he made the urgency clear. President Zelensky personally stressed that F-16 fighter jets are not only critical for saving Ukrainian lives, but are vital to protecting sea lanes for critical wheat shipments to Africa and the world. We have also been informed by European officials, including from the Netherlands, that the only remaining hurdle to urgent action on this F-16 reexport license is your approval.    F-16s are badly needed in order for Ukraine to defend its skies against Russian aircraft and cruise missiles, which the Kremlin continues to employ to deliberately murder innocents, and gain air superiority to achieve durable battlefield successes. Ukraine has consistently requested these aircraft and they are now its highest priority request. We often hear that the United States strives to provide all the capabilities that our courageous Ukrainian partners request; now, we need only provide reexport license for our NATO allies to send these fighters.   Only a few months ago, when Germany failed to grant reexport license for other countries to transfer its German-manufactured Leopard tanks, it faced heavy criticism from the democratic world. We do not want to impede Ukraine’s legitimate defense of its homeland and—as you have often correctly noted—its just war for Europe’s security, U.S. interests, and global peace. These fighter craft were specifically engineered and purchased by our allies in order to deter and defeat the threat of Russian aggression. Now, as Ukraine fights alone against Russia and endures the mass murder of its people, these weapons should be permitted to be made available to do what they were made to do: protect the democratic peoples of Europe. Denying reexport license is in direct opposition to the core reason for the purchase of these aircraft; posterity will rightfully judge us harshly if we were to arbitrarily block the transfer of important capabilities that could save Ukrainian lives and secure battlefield victory.    F-16s are a powerful weapon that could very well make all the difference in Ukraine’s upcoming counteroffensive and provide the decisive advantage it needs to compel the Kremlin to abandon this genocidal war. The United States has pledged to ensure that Ukraine has all the tools it needs to defend us all against Russia’s aggression. Allowing the reexport of F-16s would not only be consistent with that obligation, but it also does not even require the United States to provide any airframes itself. Given the enormous stakes that you have so often and clearly articulated, allowing reexport is entirely in line with our national security interests, our human rights responsibilities, and is essentially costless.  Click the pdf icon above for the full letter

WASHINGTON— Yesterday, Chairman Rep. Joe Wilson (SC-02) and Ranking Member Rep. Steve Cohen (TN-09) introduced the Ukraine Victory Resolution in the House of Representatives. Commissioners Sen. Richard Blumenthal (CT) and Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (RI), along with Sen. Lindsey Graham (SC), introduced the resolution in the Senate. The resolution affirms that it is the policy of the United States to see Ukraine victorious against the Russian invasion, holds that the peace brought by victory must be secured by integrating Ukraine into NATO, and declares that the United States must work with its allies and partners to secure reparations, reconstruction, justice for Russian war crimes, and accountability for Russian leaders.  “Ukrainian victory is the only path to peace. We must ensure that Ukraine is well-armed and outfitted so that the upcoming counteroffensive can meet expectations and Ukraine can win the war as quickly as possible. Ukrainian victory is good for U.S. national security and economic stability, denies Putin any reward for its invasion, and deters China and Iran. Ukraine’s existence depends on victory,” said Chairman Rep. Joe Wilson.  “Ukrainian victory is also critical for the United States. Ukraine is preventing an incursion into NATO and demonstrating to autocrats that borders cannot be changed by force alone—a fundamental underpinning of the peaceful international system. The Ukrainian fight is our common fight. There is no alternative to victory,” said Ranking Member Rep. Steve Cohen.  “Ukraine will win the war—and win the peace—if America continues its steadfast support as this resolution strongly states,” said Senator Blumenthal. “True victory means stopping Russia’s murderous assault, imposing accountability for crimes against humanity, and rebuilding Ukraine at Russia’s expense. To our NATO allies as well as Ukraine, our message must be that we’ll have your back in this fight for freedom and democracy—yours and ours together,” said Commissioner Sen. Richard Blumenthal.  “This bipartisan, bicameral resolution says what we all know to be true – that Ukrainian victory is in the best interest of every democracy on earth,” said Senator Whitehouse.  “Putin’s brutal war seeks to steal Ukraine’s land and its future.  The United States and our allies have played, and should continue to play, a leading role in securing everything Ukraine needs to achieve victory and rebuild.  I join my colleagues in sending a clear message to the people of Ukraine: we are with you to victory,” said Commissioner Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse.  “I enthusiastically support the concept of victory for Ukraine, which is possible with aggressive Western help, particularly in the area of weapons. The Russian army has been dealt a severe blow. It is now time to go all in for victory for Ukraine. That means continuing to provide them the weapons they need to repel the Russian invaders, labeling Putin’s Russia a state sponsor of terrorism and lending our voice to holding Putin and his cronies accountable for war crimes committed on an industrial scale. Victory for Ukraine is possible, but we have to be all in,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham.  Ukraine regained its independence in 1991 after three centuries of Moscow’s imperial rule. In 1994, the United States encouraged Ukraine to abandon its arsenal of nuclear weapons, the third largest in the world at the time, in exchange for security assurances in the Budapest Memorandum. The Ukrainians have had two revolutions since independence, the 2004 Orange Revolution and the 2014 Revolution of Dignity, demonstrating their commitment to shared ideals of democracy and freedom and their desire for Euro-Atlantic integration.  In 2008, at the Bucharest NATO Summit, NATO states declared, “NATO welcomes Ukraine’s and Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic aspirations for membership in NATO. We agree today that these countries will become members of NATO.” Russia initially invaded Ukraine in 2014 and massively escalated its invasion in 2022.  In 2022, the UN General Assembly called on member states to create a mechanism for reparations to be paid to Ukraine. In 2023, the United States issued a finding that Russian officials have committed crimes against humanity.  Original cosponsors of the resolution in the House of Representatives also include: Mike Lawler (NY-17), Richard Hudson (NC-09), Emanuel Cleaver (MO-05), Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-01), Sheila Jackson Lee (TX-18), Mike Quigley (IL-05), Doug Lamborn (CO-05), Bill Pascrell (NJ-08), Maria Elvira Salazar (FL-27), Brendan Boyle (PA-02), Lloyd Doggett (TX-37), Deborah Ross (NC-02), Jim Costa (CA-21), David Trone (MD-06), Joe Morelle (NY-25), Susan Wild (PA-07), and Marcy Kaptur (OH-09).  Click on the PDF icon above to view the resolution.

The U.S. Helsinki Commission invites you to join Members of Congress and hundreds of Ukrainian-Americans for a press conference following the introduction of the Ukraine Victory Resolution in the House of Representatives. The resolution affirms that it is U.S. policy to ensure Ukraine is able to retain sovereignty over its internationally-recognized borders, to pursue justice and reparations for Ukraine to help facilitate reconstruction, and to integrate Ukraine into Euro-Atlantic institutions like NATO, consistent with U.S. policy since 2008. Speakers will lay out a bold foreign policy vision for Ukrainian victory against Russia’s aggression. Date: Tuesday, April 25th, 2023 Time: 2:00PM Location: U.S. Capitol, House Triangle Participants: Rep. Joe Wilson, Chairman of the Helsinki Commission Rep. Steve Cohen, Ranking Member of the Helsinki Commission Razom for Ukraine + Others

WASHINGTON— Following the sentencing of statesman and outspoken Kremlin critic Vladimir Kara-Murza to 25 years in a Russian prison for speaking the truth, Helsinki Commission Chairman Representative Joe Wilson (SC-02), Co-Chairman Senator Ben Cardin (MD), Ranking Member Representative Steve Cohen (TN-09), and Ranking Member Senator Roger Wicker (MS) issued the following joint statement: “We learned today of Vladimir Kara-Murza’s sentencing not only with outrage at Russia’s widening persecution of political dissidents, but also real sadness. A longtime friend of the Commission, Kara-Murza has been a stalwart voice against Putin since the late 90s, sounding a warning that too few heeded. From his advocacy for the Magnitsky Act to his condemnation of Russia’s war against Ukraine, Kara-Murza has been clear that Russia will not be able to emerge from its current darkness until it confronts the crimes of its past and present. Generations of his own family suffered political persecution in the Soviet Union. Yet even in prison, with increasingly frail health, he has never recanted; rather, he has doubled down on his assertion that Russia will someday be free. Kara-Murza, too, will be free. Until then, we will do everything we can to support him and his family.”  Russian authorities arrested Vladimir Kara-Murza outside his apartment in Moscow in April 2022. While in pre-trial detention, he was charged with discrediting the Russian military; later, treason charges were added. He was sentenced to 25 years in prison on April 17. Since his imprisonment, Kara-Murza’s health, already a concern due to the aftereffects of two near-fatal poisonings in 2015 and 2017, has deteriorated.

WASHINGTON— Following the arrest of American journalist Evan Gershkovich in Russia, Helsinki Commission Chairman Representative Joe Wilson (SC-2), Co-Chairman Senator Ben Cardin (MD), Ranking Member Representative Steve Cohen (TN-09), and Ranking Member Senator Roger Wicker (MS) issued the following joint statement: “Russia has yet again used a fabricated criminal case as an excuse to take an American citizen hostage. The arrest of Evan Gershkovich is an outrageous attack on his person and his profession. It has long been dangerous to be a journalist in Russia, particularly for those dedicated to reporting the truth. Putin has developed an architecture of internal oppression and external aggression that has created nothing but moral decay. “As with Russia’s hostages Paul Whelan, Marc Fogel, and Vladimir Kara-Murza, we will remember Evan Gershkovich throughout this ordeal and will not be silent until he is released.” Evan Gershkovich, a correspondent with the Wall Street Journal working out of Moscow, was detained on a work trip in Yekaterinburg on March 29. He has been accused of espionage and faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted. Gershkovich is currently being held in pre-trial detention for an indeterminate amount of time before what will likely be a closed trial. He has reported from Russia since 2017.

WASHINGTON—In response to news that the Georgian parliament is considering Russian-style foreign agent legislation, which would have a chilling effect on Georgia’s vibrant civil society, Helsinki Commission Chairman Representative Joe Wilson (SC-2), Co-Chairman Senator Ben Cardin (MD), Ranking Member Representative Steve Cohen (TN-09), and Ranking Member Senator Roger Wicker (MS) issued the following joint statement: “Since regaining independence, the Georgian people have clearly and consistently chosen to be part of the democratic, Euro-Atlantic community. However, the antidemocratic, Russian-style foreign agent law would be, if enacted, a rebuke to the Georgian people’s EU and NATO aspirations and underscore the rapid decline of Georgian democracy. It would also demonstrate the present government’s increasing embrace of Russia—the same country that occupies 20 percent of Georgian territory, kidnaps its citizens, disregards its sovereignty, and wages a genocidal war against Ukraine. “This bill as well as the ongoing democratic decline, including the jailing of political opponents, is an attack on our strategic partnership and the Georgian people’s Western choice. Since 1991, the United States has been a firm and untiring friend to the Georgian people. This will not change, regardless of the government’s position. In the spirit of that friendship, we call on the Georgian government to reject the proposed legislation and renew its commitment to democracy.”