Public Statements
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 December 9, 2014, Congressman James P.
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.
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.
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.
Washington – Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission co-chairmen James McGovern (D-MA) and Frank Wolf (R-VA) marked the 25th Anniversary of the Tiananmen Square protests by offering their condolences to the families of the murdered students, and commending their brave sacrifices for greater openness and rule of law in China.