WASHINGTON – Congressman Alcee L. Hastings (D-FL) and Senator Benjamin L. Cardin (D-MD), Co-Chairmen of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (U.S. Helsinki Commission), will hold a hearing entitled, “The Role of OSCE Institutions in Advancing Human Rights and Democracy” on Wednesday, September 17 at 3:00 p.m. in room 2325 of the Rayburn House Office Building.
For over three decades the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) has been at the forefront of efforts to promote human rights and democracy in the expansive OSCE region, now comprising 56 countries. Since the early 1990s, the OSCE’s Office of Democratic Institutions and Human Rights and Parliamentary Assembly have played leading roles in advancing this important work.
The hearing will examine the unique role played by each of these institutions, their contributions to strengthening human rights, and the challenges they face as some countries seek to curtail the organization’s work. Among issues expected to be discussed are Russia’s invasion and occupation of Georgia, the upheaval following Armenia’s elections earlier this year, and the abuse of detainees at the Guantanamo Bay detention facility. The ODIHR and OSCE PA plan to deploy monitors for the upcoming U.S. elections.
WITNESSES
Ambassador Janez Lenarcic, Director of the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR)
Mr. R. Spencer Oliver, Secretary General of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly
