June 30, 2000
The Honorable Vladimir Putin
President
Kremlin
Russian Federation
Moscow
Dear Mr. President:
We call on you to use your good offices to allow Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) correspondent Andrey Babitsky to attend the ninth annual session of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Parliamentary Assembly which will be held on July 6-10th, 2000 in Bucharest, Romania.
Mr. Babitsky has been awarded the OSCE Prize for Journalism and Democracy and has been asked by the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly to come to Bucharest to receive the prize on July 6th. But we understand that at present he cannot travel outside of Moscow because of an order from the Office of the Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation. You have frequently spoken out in favor of the OSCE as the core instrument for the development of confidence and security in Europe. It would be most unfortunate if during the OSCE award ceremony, the parliamentary delegations from 54 countries attending these meetings had to be told that Mr. Babitsky could not be present because the Russian government is restricting his right to travel. We very much hope that the issue of Mr. Babitsky’s travel to Bucharest will be resolved promptly and positively.
Sincerely,
Rep. Sam Gejedenson
Rep. Benjamin A. Gilman
Rep. Tom Lantos
Rep. William D. Delahunt
Rep. Howard L. Berman
Rep. Robert Wexler
Rep. Gary L. Ackerman
Rep. Robert Menendez
Rep. Benjamin L. Cardin
Rep. Maurice D. Hinchey
Rep. Cynthia A. McKinney
Rep. Henry A. Waxman
Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney
Rep. Christopher H. Smith
Rep. Steny H. Hoyer
Rep. Alcee L. Hastings
Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr.
Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell
Sen. Frank R. Lautenberg
cc: Gennady Seleznyov, Speaker of the Duma
Head of Russian Federation delegation to the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly
