Helsinki Commission Chairman Urges Russia to Cease Blatant Violations of OSCE Principles
WASHINGTON—On the conclusion of the December 4-5 OSCE Ministerial Council in Basel, Switzerland, U.S. Helsinki Commission Chairman Senator Ben Cardin (MD) issued the following statement: “The OSCE Ministerial this year has been exceptional. I welcome the fact that an overwhelming majority of OSCE countries condemned the unlawful occupation of Crimea, defended the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, and called for Russia to end its support for violence in eastern Ukraine. Russia’s illegal activities in Ukraine have violated the most fundamental principles of the Helsinki Final Act, on which the OSCE is based. “Moving forward, the OSCE must focus on the implementation of its core commitments. The OSCE PA has spoken to this issue by passing a resolution I introduced in July, calling on Russia to cease its clear, gross, and uncorrected violations of Helsinki principles, not only in Ukraine but regarding other neighbors and at home as well. “Other serious human rights concerns in the OSCE region were spotlighted by the absence of some leading figures from this year’s Ministerial meeting. “While Turkmenistan’s current ambassador to the OSCE addressed his counterparts in Basel, the fate of his predecessor, Batyr Berdiev – as well as some 100 other prisoners – remains unknown. I welcome the Swiss Chairmanship’s efforts to address the issues of torture and enforced disappearances during their chairmanship and call on Turkmenistan to tell the families of Ambassador Berdiev and the other disappeared persons what has happened to their loved ones. “In addition, Rasul Jafarov was prevented from leading a civil society discussion on freedom of expression in Basel. Jafarov remains imprisoned in Azerbaijan in retaliation for his activism. Eldeniz Hajiyev, another human rights activist, was unable to travel to Basel because she is under house arrest in Baku. I commend the 43 OSCE countries which worked to advance an OSCE decision on freedom of expression and urge Azerbaijan to cease its flagrant persecution of independent civil society activists.”
|
 |
|
|
|
RECENT NEWS
Statement on Tragic Synagogue Slayings
November 20, 2014
|
|
|
|
Statement by Commissioner Representative Mike McIntyre at the OSCE PA Fall Meeting
October 5, 2014
|
|
|
|
Crackdown on Civil Society Threatens Democracy
September 10, 2014
|
|
|
|
Chairman Cardin floor statement on 2014 OSCE PA Annual Session
July 9, 2014
|
|
|
|
15th Anniversary of the Bytyqi Brother Murders in Serbia
July 8, 2014
|
|
|
|
Ukraine Elections-Legitimate and Heroic
May 8, 2014
|
|
|
|
Senator Cardin's floor statement on deteriorating situation in Ukraine
May 2, 2014
|
|
|
|
Senator Cardin's floor statement on Ukraine
March 27, 2014
|
|
|
|
Rep. Smith's support of the Ukraine Support Act
March 27, 2014
|
|
|
|
Senate floor statement on Ukraine
March 7, 2014
|
|
|
|
Ukraine
February 28, 2014
|
|
|
|
Statement on H. Res. 447
February 11, 2014
|
|
|
|
Supporting the Democratic Aspirations of the People of Ukraine
February 3, 2014
|
|
|
|
Human Rights in Hungary
December 16, 2013
|
|
|
|
The 80th Anniversary of the Ukrainian Famine
November 19, 2013
|
|
|
|
75th Anniversary of Kristallnacht
November 12, 2013
|
|
|
|
Remembering Nicolae Gheorghe
September 11, 2013
|
|
|
|
Political Imprisonment in Ukraine
April 9, 2013
|
|
|
|
Hungary
July 13, 2012
|
|
|
|
International Human Rights Day
December 9, 2011
|
|
|
|
Commemoration of the Anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising
September 9, 2011
|
|
|
|
OSCE Parliamentary Assembly
August 2, 2011
|
|
Click here for more Statements
Combating Corruption in the OSCE Region: The Link between Security and Good Governance
November 19, 2014
U.S. Capitol Visitor Center, Room SVC 203/202
|
|
|
|
Ukraine’s Pivotal Parliamentary Poll
November 14, 2014
Dirksen Senate Office Building Room 608
|
|
|
|
Anti-Semitism, Racism and Discrimination in the OSCE Region
July 22, 2014
SD-562 Dirksen Senate Office Building
|
|
|
|
Political Pluralism in the OSCE Mediterranean Partners?
July 16, 2014
U.S. Capitol Visitor Center, Room SVC 203/202
|
|
|
|
The Security, Economic and Human Rights Dimensions of US-Azerbaijan Relations
June 11, 2014
Russell Senate Office Building, Room 432
|
|
|
|
Georgia 2008, Ukraine 2014: Is Moldova Next?
May 6, 2014
Capitol Visitor Center, Room 268
|
|
|
|
Ukraine: Confronting Internal Challenges and External
April 9, 2014
Room 215 Dirksen Senate Office Building
|
|
|
|
The Dog Barks, But the Caravan Moves on: Highs and Lows in U.S.-Russia Relations
March 27, 2014
Room 2103 Rayburn House Office Building
|
|
|
|
Developments in the Western Balkans and Policy Responses
March 5, 2014
Room 106 Dirksen Senate Office Building
|
|
|
|
Switzerland’s Leadership of the OSCE
February 25, 2014
Room 562 Dirksen Senate Office Building
|
|
|
|
Disappeared in Turkmenistan’s Prisons: Are They Still Alive?
February 20, 2014
Room 122 Cannon House Office Building
|
|
|
|
Resolving Crises in East Asia through a New System of Collective Security: the Helsinki Process as a Model
December 11, 2013
SD-106
|
|
|
|
Europeans of African Descent 'Black Europeans': Race, Rights, and Politics
November 19, 2013
SDG-50
|
|
|
|
OSCE Efforts to Combat Human Trafficking: Outlook and Opportunities
September 17, 2013
SD-106 Dirksen Senate Office Building
|
|
|
|
Fleeing to Live: Syrian Refugees in the OSCE Region
June 13, 2013
562 Dirksen Senate Office Building
|
|
|
|
Ukraine’s Leadership of the OSCE
May 8, 2013
Dirksen Senate Office Building, Room 562
|
|
|
|
Democracy in Albania: the Pace of Progress
May 6, 2013
Capitol Visitors' Center, Senate Room 210-212
|
|
|
|
The Trajectory of Democracy – Why Hungary Matters
March 19, 2013
Capitol Visitor Center, Room SVC 210
|
|
|
|
The State-Sanctioned Marginalization of Christians in Western Europe
December 10, 2012
Room B318 Rayburn House Office Building
|
|
|
|
Assessing Ukraine’s Parliamentary Elections
November 20, 2012
Room B-318 Rayburn House Office Building
|
|
|
|
Online Safety Under Repressive Regimes: What is the Responsibility of Technology Companies?
October 19, 2012
2203 Rayburn
|
|
|
|
Listening to Victims of Child Sex Trafficking
October 4, 2012
2255 Rayburn House Office Building
|
|
|
|
Georgia’s Parliamentary Election: How Free and Fair Has the Campaign Been, and How Should the U.S. Government Respond?
September 20, 2012
2255 Rayburn House Office Building
|
|
|
|
“Escalating Violence Against Coptic Women and Girls: Will the New Egypt Be More Dangerous Than the Old?”
July 18, 2012
210 Cannon H.O.B
|
|
|
|
Justice in the International Extradition System, The Case of George Wright and Beyond
July 11, 2012
2203 Rayburn HOB
|
|
|
|
Ukraine’s Upcoming Elections: A Pivotal Moment
May 17, 2012
1310 Longworth
|
|
|
|
Political Prisoners in Central Asia
May 15, 2012
Rayburn 2203
|
|
|
|
Prerequisites for Progress in Northern Ireland
March 21, 2012
Rm. 2247 Rayburn House Office Building
|
|
|
|
Healing the Wounds of Conflict and Disaster: Clarifying the Fate of Missing Persons in the OSCE Area
February 28, 2012
Room 2172 Rayburn House Office Building
|
|
|
|
Dispatches from Moscow: Luke Harding’s chilling tale of KGB harassment
February 22, 2012
210 Cannon House Office Building
|
|
|
|
The Escalation of Violence against Roma in Europe
February 15, 2012
B-328 Rayburn House Office Building
|
|
|
|
Irish Chairmanship of the OSCE
February 8, 2012
B-318 Rayburn House Office Building
|
|
|
|
Conflicts in the Caucasus: Prospects for Resolution
December 7, 2011
B-318 Rayburn
|
|
|
|
Combating Anti-Semitism in the OSCE Region: Taking Stock of the Situation Today
December 2, 2011
2172 Rayburn House Office Building
|
|
|
|
Belarus: The Ongoing Crackdown and Forces for Change
November 15, 2011
210 Cannon House Office Building
|
|
|
|
From Arab Spring to Coptic Winter: Sectarian Violence and the Struggle for Democratic Transition in Egypt
November 15, 2011
210 Cannon House Office Building
|
|
|
|
Elections and Political Transition in Tunisia
October 13, 2011
B-318 Rayburn House Office Building
|
|
|
|
Mongolia Moves Toward Europe
October 12, 2011
210 Cannon House Office Building
|
|
|
|
Russia’s Upcoming Elections and the Struggle for Public and Competitive Politics
September 22, 2011
210 Cannon House Office Building
|
Click here for more Hearings
|
