Today is the 50th birthday of Mikhail Khodorkovsky and tragically, once again, he will spend this day in a Russian prison. It has been nearly 10 years since Mr. Khodorkovsky was unjustly imprisoned for the “crime” of daring to challenge the corruption and authoritarianism of Vladimir Putin. During the past decade, the dangerous and criminal nature of Putin’s regime has been unmasked for the entire world to see. From the murder of the crusading lawyer Sergei Magnitsky while in official custody, to the stolen Duma elections of 2011, to the harassment and persecution of civil society organizations dedicated to human rights and democracy, to the wholesale corruption of the legal system, it is clear that democracy and basic human rights are scarce commodities in Putin’s Russia.
Millions of people now recognize Mikhail Khodorkovsky as a man who had the foresight to see what was happening to his country and the courage to try and stop it. It is vital that people of goodwill stand in solidarity with Mikhail on this important day. He has spent 10 long years languishing in prison but is due to be released in October of 2014. We call upon governments and citizens around the world to demand that the Russian government honor his release date and set this brave man free. Through letters, calls, social media, and public demonstrations we must make it clear to Putin that the world is watching.
Lantos Foundation president Katrina Lantos Swett said, "Mikhail Khodorkovsky was willing to stand up for Russian democracy and freedom and has paid a very heavy price for his courage. Now it is time for those who support these values to stand up for him."
Katrina Lantos Swett Op-Ed : CNN World/GPS -- Time to tear down the internet 'walls'
The following op-ed appeared on CNN World/GPS on June 26, 2013.
Fifty years ago today, on June 26, 1963, President John F. Kennedy stood in West Berlin and condemned the newly erected Berlin Wall. Twenty-four years later, President Ronald Reagan traveled to West Berlin and challenged Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to "tear down this wall.”
In the decades between these speeches, human rights and religious freedom advocates behind the Iron Curtain defied the walls of tyranny by relying on the samizdat, a clandestine system to print and distribute government-suppressed material. Today, many use the internet in much the same way, raising both challenges and opportunities as the forces of repression and freedom clash in the virtual and physical worlds.
To read the entire op-ed please visit CNN World/ GPS
Annette Lantos Stands Against Communism at Ceremony Honoring Secretary Rumsfeld
Lantos Foundation Urges Interpol to Reject Russia's Latest Political Witch-Hunt
CONCORD, NH – The Lantos Foundation for Human Rights & Justice has sent a letter petitioning Interpol to reject Russia’s request to issue an All-Points Bulletin to locate Mr. William Browder, the CEO of Hermitage Capital Management. The Russian Government has been pursuing Mr. Browder on tax evasion charges, but it is widely believed that his pursuit is related to his work calling for justice for his slain former employee Sergei Magnitsky, who is currently the subject of an outrageous posthumous trial in Russia. Interpol’s Commission for the Control of Files will consider the request at its next scheduled meeting beginning on May 23rd.
Katrina Lantos Swett, President of the Lantos Foundation, stated:
“We strongly urge Interpol not to become embroiled in Russia’s latest attempt to make a mockery of international justice. Bill Browder deserves praise, not condemnation, for the work he has done with the Sergei Magnitsky Act here in the US and other attempts to gain justice for his slain friend. Interpol must not play into Putin’s hands by acquiescing to an APB that would make them accessories to an outrageous abuse of justice and put a respected human rights champion at risk of his life should he fall into the corrupt and violent hands of Russia’s Interior Ministry.”
Statement on International Day Against Homophobia
The advance and expansion of the scope of human rights has been one of the important good news stories of the past half century. In nation after nation we are seeing basic respect, dignity, and justice being extended to communities that, for far too long, were forced to live on the margins of their societies. This has certainly been true of the LGBT community. On this International Day Against Homophobia, we must not only celebrate the advances that have been made, but also renew our vigilance and our determination to extend fundamental human rights to all people, regardless of their sexual orientation.
Remarks of Secretary Jacob J. Lew at the Unveiling Ceremony of the Raoul Wallenberg Congressional Gold Medal
"Chen Guangcheng, Banished, but Not Gone" - The New York Times
Holocaust lesson - Sophomores host humanitarian organization symposium
Russia Accelerates Its Retreat from Democracy
The past several years have witnessed a disturbing and accelerating retreat from democracy and human rights on the part of the Putin government. This trend was on clear display yesterday in the raid of one of Russia’s oldest and most respected human rights organizations - Memorial.
Last July, in apparent retaliation for widespread protests by democracy and human rights activists, the Russian government introduced legislation requiring NGOs that receive any support from abroad to register as “foreign agents”. In the Russian context this is tantamount to requiring them to self-identify as spies and traitors.
Memorial, an organization dedicated to documenting the human rights abuses of Russia’s communist past and to advocating for democracy and rule of law, is widely respected both in Russia and abroad.
According to Lantos Foundation President, Dr. Katrina Lantos Swett, targeting such a high profile organization is clearly intended to send a message of intimidation throughout the Russian human rights NGO community.
“Putin has reverted to type as an unreformed KGB operative, and is attempting to stifle and intimidate reformers in Russia. Since the recent corrupt elections, we have seen a raft of anti-democratic moves by the Putin regime of which this is just the latest example.”
The Lantos Foundation has been in the forefront of advocating for democracy and rule of law in Russia and has condemned the unjust trial and imprisonment of Mikhail Khodorkovsky as well as the suspicious death of the whistle blowing lawyer Sergei Magnitsky, while in Russian government custody.
Lantos Swett called on the U.S. State Department to condemn the raid on Memorial’s offices; “The American government must not sideline our human rights concerns with Russia. As important as the various economic and security issues on the Russian/American agenda are, we cannot afford to ignore Russia’s retreat from democracy, and we owe it to the people of Russia to let them know that we stand with them in their struggle to protect their freedoms.”