Media
Latest News
As Co-Chairs of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, we are deeply concerned about recent reports alleging that on March 16th the Syrian government of Bashar al-Assad attacked the town of Sarmin, Idlib in the northwestern part of the country using chemical weapons, specifically barrel bombs filled with chlorine gas. According to medical workers on the ground, an entire family of six people died and at least 70 others were so severely affected that they required medical care.
As Co-Chairs of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, we condemn in the strongest possible terms the brutal assassination of Russian opposition leader Boris Nemtsov last Friday, February 27th. We call upon the Russian government to ensure a prompt, impartial and transparent investigation to identify and bring to justice all those who planned and carried out the crime, and to guarantee the conditions necessary for Russian citizens to fully exercise their human rights to freedom of expression, association and political participation.
As Co-Chairs of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, we are deeply alarmed by reports that two alleged perpetrators of genocide in Sudan, Sudanese Foreign Minister Ali Ahmed Karti and Dr. Ibrahim Ghandur of the ruling National Congress Party, have been invited to the National Prayer Breakfast. Quite simply, these officials should not have been invited to attend an event held in the name of the U.S. Congress, which has passed legislation denouncing the Sudanese government for acts of genocide and crimes against humanity.
The Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission commends Rep. Aaron Schock for his work in securing the freedom of Dr. Tun Aung, a prisoner of conscience from Myanmar. Rep. Schock traveled to Myanmar earlier this month to personally petition the government for Dr. Aung's release and was in Yangon to meet with him when he was freed.
Washington - Today marks the 70th anniversary of the liberation by Soviet troops of Auschwitz, the most notorious of the network of camps established and operated by Nazi Germany to carry out the Holocaust, the systematic state-sponsored persecution and murder of six million Jews. Decades later, anti-semitism continues to manifest itself in societies around the world, endangering Jews and others as well.
Washington, DC - Today, December 10, 2014, the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission joins the global community in celebrating Human Rights Day, which marks the 66th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The Commission strongly endorses this year's theme, "Human Rights 365," recognizing that human rights must be respected and celebrated every day of the year.
On November 19, 2014, the co-chairmen of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission sent a letter to Secretary Kerry urging the Administration to fully enforce the Child Soldiers Prevention Act. In 2008, members of the U.S. Congress adopted the Child Soldiers Prevention Act in order to help curb this egregious practice. However, the co-chairmen are concerned that the effectiveness of this law has been undermined by waivers issued in September by President Obama. These waivers allow the U.S.