Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, on June 3, 1976, U.S. President Gerald Ford signed into law a bill establishing the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, more commonly known as the U.S. Helsinki Commission. I bring this 40th anniversary next week to my colleagues’ attention today because the commission has played a particularly significant role […]

The annual report of the activities of the U.S. Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, also known as the Helsinki Commission, from January 1 to December 31, 2004.

Washington – United States Helsinki Commission leaders today issued statements in support of hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian citizens of all ages amassing in a nationwide protest in the face of outright fraud and falsification in Ukraine’s presidential election held Sunday. “I offer my heartfelt support for Ukrainians seeking truth during this critical period for […]

This briefing examined the pre-election conditions in Ukraine ahead of the country’s presidential election run-off set for November 21. The contest, pitting democratic opposition leader Victor Yushchenko against Prime Minister Victor Yanukovych in a November 21 run-off, represented a potential turning point for Ukraine. The OSCE Election Observation Mission, with more than 600 international observers, […]

Washington – The United States Helsinki Commission will hold a briefing to examine the pre-election conditions in Ukraine ahead of the country’s presidential election run-off set for November 21. Ukraine’s Presidential Election: The Turning Point? Tuesday, November 16, 2004 10:00 AM – 12:00 Noon 2255 Rayburn House Office Building Former U.S. Rep. Jim Slattery, member […]

By Orest S. Deychakiwsky and Ronald J. McNamara CSCE Staff On October 17, Belarus held fundamentally flawed parliamentary elections and a referendum allowing Belarusian dictator Aleksandr Lukashenka unlimited terms as president.  Lukashenka’s current “term” expires in 2006.  The rigged referendum certainly did nothing to legitimize Lukashenka’s now ten-year repressive rule.  Likewise, the new National Assembly […]

Washington – United States Helsinki Commissioners today expressed alarm over the expulsion by French school officials of students because of their refusal to remove their religious apparel, a move which violates France’s commitment to protect freedom of religion and speech under the 1975 Helsinki Accords. Enforcing new regulations in France banning “obvious” religious apparel in […]

Washington– United States Helsinki Commission leaders lauded Romania’s first Holocaust Remembrance Day on October 12, 2004.  President Ion Iliescu presided over  a  ceremony marking the event  in the Romanian Parliament.  The ceremony — attended by national religious leaders, Holocaust survivors and Romanian schoolchildren — attempted to bring national attention to Romania’s wartime complicity for the […]

Washington – President George W. Bush signed the Belarus Democracy Act into law Wednesday, stating, “At a time when freedom is advancing around the world, Aleksandr Lukashenka and his government are turning Belarus into a regime of repression in the heart of Europe, its government isolated from its neighbors and its people isolated from each […]

On October 15, 2003, Azerbaijan held presidential elections. According to the official results, Ilham Aliev defeated seven challengers, winning over 76 percent of the vote. His closest challenger was Isa Gambar, leader of the opposition Musavat Party, with 14 percent. The OSCE observation mission announced on October 16 that the election failed to meet international […]

Washington – Eleven Members of the United States Helsinki Commission are calling on Russia’s President Vladimir Putin to do everything in his power to ensure that authorities aggressively investigate the July 9 murder of Paul Khlebnikov, chief editor of the Forbes Russia magazine. An American journalist of Russian descent, Khlebnikov was shot multiple times by […]

Washington – At the conclusion today of Europe’s largest annual human rights meeting,  United States Helsinki Commission Chairman Rep. Christopher H. Smith (R-NJ) welcomed the declaration of human rights advocates from 16 countries countering criticism by several former Soviet states of the OSCE’s human rights work. On July 3, 2004, nine OSCE countries – Armenia, […]