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Helsinki Commission Chairman Disturbed by Death of Ukrainian Anti-Corruption Activist

WASHINGTON—Following the recent news of the death of Ukrainian anti-corruption activist Kateryna Handzyuk, Helsinki Commission Chairman Sen. Roger Wicker (MS) issued the following statement:

I am disturbed by the death of 33-year-old Ukrainian anti-corruption campaigner Kateryna Handzyuk, who succumbed to injuries received in an acid attack. This young woman worked tirelessly to curb the corruption plaguing her country with the hope that Ukraine would one day realize the rule of law. Her torturous death reminds us that many Ukrainian officials have not yet lived up to the hopes of their citizens.

Ukraine’s vibrant civil society remains its best hope for real reform, and it deserves the greatest possible protection. I hope Ms. Handzyuk’s killers will be quickly brought to justice.”

Attacks on civil society activists in Ukraine have escalated in 2018, accompanied by a disturbing lack of investigations. In October, Transparency International issued a press release calling on Ukrainian authorities to bring those behind the attacks to justice as quickly as possible. This was preceded by a September 26, 2018, open statement from a broad coalition of Ukrainian civil society representatives, recounting recent attacks and demanding investigations.

These attacks follow a broader crackdown on civil society in Ukraine. Last April, Ukraine implemented an invasive NGO law, requiring civil society activists to declare assets down to the individual level. The United States and the European Union criticized this action.

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Press Releases

Helsinki Commission House Leadership Marks Fourth An...

Jun 06, 2024

WASHINGTON—Today, Chairman Rep. Joe Wilson (SC-02) and Ranking Member Rep. Steve Cohen (TN-09) marked the fourth annual Counter-Kleptocracy Month. The U.S. Helsinki Commission has marked Counter-Kleptocracy month since June 2021 when the Commission helped to launch the Congressional Caucus against Foreign Corruption and Kleptocracy (Counter-Kleptocracy Caucus). The Caucus is also chaired by Reps. Wilson and […]

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Hearings

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Jul 18, 2023

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Press Releases

Hearing: Supporting a Democratic and Secure Moldova

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Press Releases

Chairman Wilson and RM Cohen Mark Third Annual Count...

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Press Releases

Helsinki Commissioners Announce Re-introduction of C...

Jan 25, 2023

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Press Releases

Co-Chairman Cohen Calls for the Release of Political...

Aug 09, 2022

Washington – On the second anniversary of the sham presidential election in Belarus, the Helsinki Commission Co-Chairman and OSCE PA Special Representative on Political Prisoners Rep. Steve Cohen (TN-09) issued the following statement: “Two years ago today, Belarus’s autocrat Aleksander Lukashenko put up a show of an election that he had hoped would legitimize his […]

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Digests

Helsinki Commission Digital Digest July 2022

Jul 29, 2022

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Digests

HELSINKI COMMISSION DIGITAL DIGEST JUNE 2022

Jun 30, 2022

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Digests

Helsinki Commission Digital Digest May 2022

Jun 01, 2022

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Briefings

Putin’s Bribetakers and Warmongers

May 19, 2022

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Press Releases

Helsinki Commissioners Lead Bipartisan Ask for Biden...

May 12, 2022

WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (MD), author of the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act and Chair of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (Helsinki Commission), along with Helsinki Commission Ranking Member Senator Roger Wicker (MS) and Commissioners Senators Jeanne Shaheen (NH) and Sheldon Whitehouse (RI) are urging President Joe Biden to publicly sanction […]

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Briefings

Russia’s Swiss Enablers

May 05, 2022

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