Public Statements
Dec 14, 2021
Washington, D.C. - Co-Chairs of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission Congressmen James P. McGovern (D-MA) and Christopher H. Smith (R-NJ) signed a bipartisan letter urging Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas to give Special Student Relief eligibility to Belarusian students in the U.S. and extend Temporary Protective Status to Belarusian democracy activists in the U.S.
Dec 14, 2021
Washington, D.C. - Co-Chairs of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission Congressmen James P. McGovern (D-MA) and Christopher H. Smith (R-NJ) lead a bipartisan group of 27 House lawmakers in a letter asking the Biden administration to make Tibet a priority.
TLHRC Co-Chairs join 396 members of the House of Representatives to condemn the coup d’état in Burma
Washington, D.C. - Congressmen James P. McGovern (D-MA) and Christopher H. Smith, Co-Chairs of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, voted to pass H.Res. 134, a resolution condemning the military coup that took place February 1, 2021 in Burma.
Mar 19, 2021
Washington, D.C. - Co-Chairs of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission Congressmen James P. McGovern (D-MA) and Christopher H. Smith (R-NJ) signed a bipartisan letter urging the Biden administration to fill the role of Special Envoy on North Korean Human Rights Issues.
Mar 13, 2021
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressmen James P. McGovern (D-MA) and Christopher H. Smith (R-NJ), Co-Chairs of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, issued a statement condemning the unjust detention and prosecution of Belarusian journalist Ihar Losik and calling for his immediate release.
Feb 16, 2021
Washington, D.C. - Congressmen James P. McGovern (D-MA) and Christopher H. Smith, Co-Chairs of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, called on the government of Rwanda to release Paul Rusesabagina on humanitarian grounds and facilitate his return to the United States.
Nov 18, 2020
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. House of Representatives has passed a resolution introduced by James P. McGovern (D-MA) and cosponsored by Congressman Christopher H. Smith (R-NJ) to condemn the poisoning of Russia's most prominent opposition leader, Alexei Navalny, and call on the U.S. to support a thorough and impartial international investigation into the attack.
Sep 11, 2020
WASHINGTON, D.C. – In a letter to the Algerian Ambassador, Co-Chairs James P. McGovern (D-MA) and Christopher H. Smith (R-NJ) expressed their concerns for press freedom in Algeria and urged the immediate and unconditional release of renown journalist and Defending Freedoms Project prisoner of conscience Khaled Drareni.
Sep 10, 2020
WASHINGTON, D.C. – In a letter led by TLHRC member Rep. Andy Levin (D-MI) and Co-Chair James P. McGovern (D-MA), Co-Chair Christopher H. Smith (R-NJ) and 31 members of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission joined 100+ members of Congress in requesting the State Department to send to Congress a detailed strategy to continue robust human rights monitoring in Tibet and the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.
Aug 25, 2020
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressmen James P. McGovern (D-MA) and Christopher H. Smith (R-NJ), Co-Chairs of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission in the U.S. Congress, issue a statement on the third anniversary of the start of the violent campaign that displaced hundreds of thousands of Rohingya from Burma to Bangladesh calling for a renewed commitment to a safe and secure future for the Rohingya.