This briefing discussed the repression against human rights activists in the Soviet Union. Chairman Fascell and Commissioner Leahy oversaw the testimony of several American lawyers representing imprisoned members of the Moscow-Helsinki Group detailing the abuses committed against their clients. Numerous documents from Soviet citizens were also submitted to the record documenting the Soviet authorities’ violations of the Helsinki Accords’ human rights provisions.
Members
Hon. Dante Fascell
Chairman
Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe
Hon. Patrick Leahy
Commissioner
Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe
Hon. Robert Dole
Commissioner
Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe
Hon. Millicent Fenwick
Commissioner
Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe
Witnesses
Edward Bennett Williams
Washington Trial Lawyer
American counsel for Aleksandr Ginzburg, imprisoned member of Moscow Helsinki Watch and administrator of Solzhenitsyn Fund for the Aid of Political Prisoners and their Families
Alan Dershowitz
Civil Liberties Activist, Harvard Law School
American counsel for Anatoly Shcharansky, imprisoned Jewish activist and member of the Moscow Helsinki Watch Group
Ramsey Clark
Former U.S. Attorney General, National Chairman, Advisory Committee ACLU
American counsel for Yuri Orlov, imprisoned founding member of the Moscow Helsinki Watch Group, and for Oleksiy Tykhy and Mykola Rudenko, two imprisoned members of the Ukrainian Helsinki Watch Group
George Fletcher
Professor, Expert on Comparative Legal Systems
UCLA Law School
Relevant Countries
Leadership
Helsinki Commission Advances Human Rights, Demands f...
Oct 19, 2023By Shannon Simrell, Senior Policy Advisor Between October 2-13, 11 Helsinki Commission staff joined approximately 1,400 representatives of OSCE participating States (pS) and civil society representatives in Warsaw, Poland in an annual review of the human rights records of OSCE States. U.S. leadership highlighted demands for accountability from Russia and Belarus for their human rights […]
Vladimir Kara-Murza: Putin’s Personal Prisoner
Sep 20, 2023Stream here: HEARING: Vladimir Kara-Murza: Putin’s Personal Prisoner – YouTube Vladimir Kara-Murza, a father, husband, and a freedom fighter, has been in detention for over five hundred days and is currently being transferred to a prison in Siberia. As he is being moved, his family has lost all contact with him and are faced with worry […]
United States Demonstrates Global Leadership on Ukra...
Jul 14, 2023The Helsinki Commission’s four senior leaders helmed the United States’ bicameral, bipartisan delegation to the 30th Annual Session of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly last week in Vancouver, Canada. Co-Chairman Senator Ben Cardin (MD), serving as Head of Delegation, was joined by Chairman Joe Wilson (SC-02) as Deputy Head of Delegation as well as Ranking Members […]
Supporting A Democratic and Secure Moldova
Jul 12, 2023In recent years, Moldova has made notable steps to improve its democratic institutions and combat corruption. President Maia Sandu and her Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS) have spearheaded wide-ranging reforms and backed a number of high-profile anti-corruption cases. Moldova has also made strides toward greater integration with the European Union (EU). In 2022, the […]
Helsinki Commission Chair and Co-Chair Lead Delegati...
Jul 10, 2023WASHINGTON—Helsinki Commission Co-Chair Senator Ben Cardin (MD) and Helsinki Commission Chair Representative Joe Wilson (SC-02) led a bipartisan Congressional delegation to the 30th Annual Session of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly (OSCE PA) in Vancouver, Canada from June 30-July 4. As Head of Delegation and Deputy Head of Delegation respectively, Senator Cardin and Representative Wilson welcomed the […]
Helsinki Commission Leadership Statement on Georgian...
Mar 06, 2023WASHINGTON—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 […]
North Macedonia’s Leadership of the OSCE in a ...
Feb 28, 2023North Macedonia has taken up leadership of the world’s largest regional security organization—the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE)—a year into Putin’s brutal invasion of Ukraine. Much of the OSCE’s focus over the past year has revolved around responses to the war, including using the organization to condemn Russian aggression and hold the […]
HEARING: NORTH MACEDONIA’S LEADERSHIP OF THE OSCE IN...
Feb 24, 2023Tuesday, February 28, 2023 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. Streaming: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNgAOyC9f5g North Macedonia has taken up leadership of the world’s largest regional security organization—the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE)—a year into Putin’s brutal, full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Much of the OSCE’s focus over the past year has revolved around responses to the war, […]
U.S. Delegation to the OSCE PA presents Joint Statem...
Feb 24, 2023WASHINGTON— Today, the U.S. Delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization on Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE PA) endorsed the “Joint Statement of Action on the One-Year Anniversary of Russia’s War Against Ukraine and the International Legal Order,” which was endorsed by the OSCE PA Bureau and published today at the conclusion of the […]
Steadfast Support for Ukraine: United States Delegat...
Feb 23, 2023WASHINGTON – Today, the United States Delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE PA), led by Senator Ben Cardin (MD), met with Mykyta Poturaiev, Ukraine’s Head of Delegation and additional representatives of the Ukrainian Rada in Vienna, Austria, along with the Heads of Delegation of Canada, Estonia, […]
Helsinki Commission Chair and Co-Chair: Statement on...
Feb 20, 2023WASHINGTON—Following reports of the sharp deterioration of Azerbaijani dissident Bakhtiyar Hajiyev, Helsinki Commission Chairman Rep. Joe Wilson (SC-2) and Co-Chairman Sen. Ben Cardin (MD) issued the following joint statement: “We are absolutely appalled at the continued unwarranted detention and mistreatment of Azerbaijani civil activist Bakhtiyar Hajiyev, who has been imprisoned on trumped up charges and […]
Helsinki Commissioners Urge Austria to Deny Visas to...
Feb 15, 2023WASHINGTON – Helsinki Commission leadership, Chairman Rep. Joe Wilson, Co-Chairman Sen. Ben Cardin, and Rep. Steve Cohen, on February 10, sent a letter to Austrian Minister of Foreign Affairs Alexander Schallenberg to reconsider granting visas to the Russian delegation to the Winter Meeting of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, […]