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Press Releases

January 29, 2015

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.


January 27, 2015

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.


January 16, 2015
Washington, DC -- "I am deeply saddened to learn that on Thursday January 15th a court in Mauritania convicted Biram Dah Abeid, along with two fellow activists, of “membership in an unrecognized organization” and “taking part in an unauthorized assembly” and sentenced each of the men to two years in prison.

December 10, 2014

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.


December 9, 2014
On December 9, 2014, Congressman James P. McGovern, co-chairman of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, sent a letter to Secretary Kerry urging the Administration to advocate for the creation of an International Anti-Corruption Court to combat grand corruption, which is devastating to democracy and the human rights that governments are constituted to protect and promote.

November 19, 2014

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.


October 8, 2014
Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission co-chairmen James P. McGovern (D-MA) and Frank Wolf (R-VA) today issued a statement regarding the dire situation facing the city of Kobani in northern Syria.

September 11, 2014

On September 11, 2014, the co-chairmen of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission sent a letter to Secretary Kerry urging him to pay careful attention to the situation of Maryam al-Khawaja. Ms. al-Khawaja, a human rights defender in Bahrain, has been detained since August 30th, on the charge of assaulting a police officer -- an offense for which there is no evidence. The co-chairmen are concerned that Ms. al-Khawaja is being detained arbitrarily and fear for her safety and well-being while in detention. The letter urged Secretary Kerry to call on the Bahraini government to release Ms.


September 5, 2014

On September 3, 2014, the co-chairmen of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission issued a letter to recently appointed Under Secretary of State Sarah Sewall. The letter congratulated the Under Secretary on her new post and encouraged her to improve efforts on the part of the United States and other governments to take a more active approach to the human rights situation in Tibet.


July 22, 2014
Ten years after the date Congress declared a genocide in Darfur, the co-chairs of the Congressional Caucus on Sudan and South Sudan and the co-chairs of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission issued a statement on the continuing indiscriminate violence against civilians.

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Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission
House Committee on Foreign Affairs
4150 O'Neill House Office Building
200 C Street SW
Washington, D.C. 20515
United States of America

Phone: +1 (202) 225-3599
TLHRC@mail.house.gov

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