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Sixty-seven years ago today, on December 10th, 1948, in the aftermath of the Second World War, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Drafted by representatives from different legal and cultural backgrounds, and from all regions of the world, the Universal Declaration set out a common understanding of the fundamental human rights that were to be universally protected.
As Co-Chairs of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, and recognizing the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists on November 2, we are troubled by the intensified crackdown on press freedoms in Turkey. As Turkey hosts the G20 Summit on November 15-16 where President Obama will meet with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, we call upon the government of Turkey to guarantee the rights to freedom of press, access to information, and freedom of expression for all persons in Turkey.
As Co-Chairs of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, we express our serious concern over death penalty convictions handed down by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) of Bangladesh to Salauddin Quader Chowdury and Ali Ahsan Mohammed Mujahid despite potential irregularities in their trials. Barring successful appeals before the Supreme Court of Bangladesh on November 17, their executions may be imminent.
On September 16, the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission was pleased to welcome a delegation from ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR) for a briefing on the human rights situation in member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), including Burma, where they recently concluded a fact-finding mission.
In a jab at the White House for preparing to honor Chinese President Xi Jinping with a state dinner, leaders of the congressional Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission honored exiled Chinese activists with a "stateless breakfast" at Capitol Hill on Friday morning.
As the Chinese President Xi Jingping met with the US President Barack Obama at the White House this morning, Congressman Jim McGovern (D-MA 2nd district), Co-Chairman of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, hosted a 'Stateless' breakfast to honor the human rights defenders who have been imprisoned, persecuted, and silenced by the Chinese government.
Congressman Jim McGovern, Congressman Joe Pitts, Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson, and Human Rights Activists representing various organizations were present at the event.
Twenty-six Members of Congress, including the Co-Chairs and seven other members of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, wrote to President Obama urging him to use Xi Jinping's first official state visit to the United States to address the "difficult issues," including China's persistent and egregious human rights violations. The Members of Congress urged President Obama to make human rights a clear and visible priority in U.S. engagement with China.