Statement from the Lantos Foundation on Yom Hashoah

On this day when the world remembers the unimaginable tragedy of the Holocaust, we at the Lantos Foundation feel a renewed sense of dedication to the work of our founder, Congressman Tom Lantos. As the only survivor of the Holocaust ever to serve in Congress, Tom brought unparalleled personal passion and insight into the task of remembering the six million victims of the Nazi death machine. Equally, he was a tireless voice of warning about the dangers of bigotry and hatred once again threatening the Jewish people.

At a time when the world is witnessing a level of open and virulent anti-Semitism unseen on the continent of Europe in over seventy years, Tom’s spirit of vigilance and warning is more relevant than ever. As he so memorably said, “The veneer of civilization is paper thin. We are its guardians, and we can never rest.” On this solemn day of remembrance, we call upon all people of goodwill to resist and respond to all manifestations of this ancient and despicable prejudice and to “never rest” in the pursuit of human rights and dignity for all humanity.    

Statement from Chen Guangcheng on the Death of Cao Shunli

Statement from Lantos Foundation Senior Advisor on internet freedom and human rights for people with disabilities, Chen Guangcheng:

"I am writing on behalf of Chen Guangcheng, who wishes to make known the death of human rights activist and lawyer Cao Shunli. She died while in government custody, after taking part in peaceful protests in Beijing, related to the drafting of the Human Rights Report in which the government prepares and delivers a report to the UN on its human rights situation. UN requirements dictate that the process be open to the public for comment and participation, but in China the work went on behind closed doors.

Cao Shunli was detained in September of 2013 when she was preparing to board a flight to Switzerland to take part "in human rights training on UN mechanisms," as Front Line Defenders reports. Only much later did her family learn about her whereabouts, at which point many human rights defenders and lawyers urged her to hire a lawyer and sign the proper paperwork. Unfortunately, she and her family were told by the security police that she shouldn't hire a lawyer, that they were just holding her until after the UN human rights conference regarding China's participation in the UNHRC last October was over. Soon after the conference, however, her family was given an official notice of arrest, at which point she was placed in a detention center.

For some time there had been news of her illness in custody, but her family's pleas to allow her to receive proper medical attention were ignored.

Then, around February 20th 2014, she was suddenly taken to hospital, but as a last and desperate measure. At that point, she was put on a ventilator in the ICU, where no one beside hospital staff was allowed to enter. Many supporters came to the hospital to protest outside, but were taken into custody.

As of today, Chen Guangcheng reports that her family and her lawyer was notified just this morning of her serious condition, but by the time they got to the hospital they found she had already died. They reported her body was covered with bruises, leading them to believe that she had been the victim of torture before her death. They were prevented from changing her clothes, as is Chinese custom, by guards in and outside her room. The family suspects that the authorities were worried that they would see yet more evidence of torture on her body. Later, her body was taken away, and no one is sure of the whereabouts.

This tragedy at the hands of the Chinese authorities is emblematic of the cruel and arbitrary measures that are used against innocent, law-abiding citizens in China. In fighting to bring clarity and transparency to the Chinese human rights situation through the UN, Cao Shunli was working on behalf of all people. The community of nations on whose behalf she was working should take pause to remember her, and should stand together to bring her case to justice. Those who murder with impunity should be held accountable."

Statement Regarding Hungary's Response to Sándor Szakály's Remarks and the Proposed Monument to German Occupation

Dr. Katrina Lantos Swett
President, Lantos Foundation for Human Rights and Justice

Recent days have seen considerable controversy in Hungary over the remarks of Sándor Szakály, Director of the Veritas Institute.  His statements regarding the tragic and unforgivable 1941 deportation of thousands of Jews from Hungary to Ukraine where they were massacred in the notorious Kamenets-Podolskii atrocity have sparked outrage and deep concern across Hungary and beyond.

The Lantos Foundation is aware that Mr. Szakály has acknowledged that his statements were wrong and ill informed.   This is an important step and we welcome it.  Nonetheless, questions remain as to whether Mr. Szakály is the appropriate person to serve as the Director of an institute of historical research.

We are also aware of the statement issued by the Minister of State for the Prime Minister’s office, Mr. János Lázár. This very brief statement merely asserts that the views Sándor Szakály expressed do not reflect the opinion of the Prime Minister’s office.  One would hope that this was self-evident, and while appreciated, this modest comment is by no means an adequate repudiation of the offensive and inaccurate comments of Mr. Szakály.

The deeper question remains regarding Hungary’s willingness to come to terms with its complicity in the deportation and murder of over half a million Hungarian citizens during the Holocaust. This painful issue is one that must be honestly faced, not only for the sake of Hungary’s past, but more importantly for the sake of Hungary’s future.

The Lantos Foundation sincerely appreciates the powerful and courageous speeches of Deputy Prime Minister Tibor Navracsics and Foreign Minister János Martonyi at the October 2013 conference on resurgent anti-Semitism that was sponsored by the Tom Lantos Institute in Budapest, We also appreciate the eloquent and strong remarks of Ambassador Csaba Kőrösi, at the recent opening of the United Nations exhibit commemorating the 70th anniversary of the Hungarian Holocaust. Such speeches reflect the integrity and decency of the Hungarian people. Furthermore, going back a decade, the Hungarian government established the Holocaust Memorial Center on Páva Street, which is one of the most impressive such museums anywhere in the world. In addition, many important initiatives are planned to memorialize this tragic 70th anniversary and to teach the lessons of this terrible time in Hungarian history to a new generation.

Holocaust in Hungary Exhibition Opens at United Nations

Guests Encouraged to Remember, Learn, and Face Present Dangers

New York, NY- Holocaust in Hungary, a moving historical exhibit documenting the horrific events that took the lives of 550,000 Jews in Hungary during the Holocaust, opened yesterday at United Nations Headquarters, in New York.

Under-Secretary General Peter Launsky-Tieffenthal welcomed more than 150 guests and joined Ambassador of Hungary to the United Nations Csaba Kőrösi, to remember those who lost their lives as well as those Hungarians who had the courage to help save their fellow citizens from death camps. Max Teleki, President of the Hungarian American Coalition, spoke on behalf of György Vámos representing the Carl Lutz Foundation.

Dr. Katrina Lantos Swett, daughter of the late Hungarian Holocaust survivor and US Congressman Tom Lantos, addressed the attendees and said, “We are here tonight not only to remember and to learn, but even more importantly to prepare and to arm ourselves to face the very real dangers of the present moment.”

Lantos Swett was referring to recent remarks that dismissed the 1941 deportations and ultimate deaths of nearly 20,000 Hungarian Jews as a local police action against illegal aliens, and she called on the Hungarian Government to stand firm against such attempts to revise history.

Sponsored by the Carl Lutz Foundation, Budapest; the Lantos Foundation for Human Rights and Justice; and the Hungarian American Coalition, with support from The Hungary Initiatives Foundation; and the Permanent Mission of Hungary to the United Nations, “Holocaust in Hungary” will remain at the United Nations until January 31st and will be on exhibit in Washington, DC later this winter.

Katrina Lantos Swett Remarks - UN Hungarian Holocaust Commemoration

Prepared remarks of Katrina Lantos Swett at UN Hungarian Holocaust Commemoration, January 23, 2014

"Good Evening, Dear Friends.

As has already been noted by the earlier speakers, we meet tonight with hearts that are both heavy and full - heavy over the sudden and serious illness of our friend Gyorgy Vamos who has been in so many ways the moving force behind this exhibit and full because we gather today to remember a dark time in history and to commemorate and honor the hundreds of thousands of Jews who lost their lives in the tragedy of the Hungarian Holocaust. As you know my own family is included in the numbers of those who became victims, and my own dear mother and father were saved only because of the selfless heroism of one of the most extraordinary diplomats and humanitarians of the 20th century- Raoul Wallenberg. A monument to Wallenberg stands just a stone’s throw away from where we are, across the street from the UN, and perhaps the most notable part of the Memorial is the bronze suitcase, left on the ground to symbolize the unfinished work of Raoul who as we all know was kidnapped and imprisoned by the Soviets when they came to Budapest. I think that image of the suitcase left behind as he was taken is an important symbol and reminder for us here today of our own unfinished business.

This powerful exhibit tells an unforgettable story which we are honor bound to remember and bear witness to. But exhibits such as these have another, even more important purpose. In that sense coming here is quite different from going to admire a Matisse at the Met. We are here tonight not only to remember and to learn but even more importantly to prepare and to arm ourselves to face the very real dangers of the present moment. And as far as anti-Semitism in Europe is concerned, its alarming resurgence in recent years reminds us all of the truth of William Faulkner’s words, “The past is never dead, it’s not even past.”

In just the last few days the dark past has re-emerged in Hungary in a disturbing and outrageous way. In 1941, long before the German occupation of Hungary in 1944, nearly 20,000 Jews were deported by the Hungarian authorities to German occupied Ukraine where they were murdered en masse in the infamous Kamianets-Podilskyi massacre. This was the first mass atrocity directed at Hungarian Jews during the Holocaust. And yet, a few days ago, the director of a government funded Historical Institute described this unforgivable deportation as simply a “local police action against illegal aliens.” It is hard to properly express my outrage at this appalling attempt to rewrite history and to attempt to evade the Hungarian government’s deep moral complicity in the massacre of these innocent people - the vast majority of them native-born Hungarians. Such an effort to evade, avoid, whitewash and desecrate history is utterly unacceptable and cannot be tolerated by any nation that hopes to command the respect of the world community.

I urge the leadership of the Hungarian government to speak out forcefully against these reprehensible statements and to take appropriate steps to rectify this situation. Hungary is too proud and too decent of a nation to let such shameful remarks stand unrebuked by those at the highest level of government.

When I first learned of these events, I thought immediately of my dear father, Tom Lantos, who was truly fearless when it came to confronting those who would seek to once again fan the flames of bigotry and hatred in Hungary. I know if he were still alive, he would take to the floor of his beloved Congress to denounce these comments and to call upon the government of Hungary to stand proudly and unshakably for the values of human rights, tolerance, democracy and decency. There are many in Hungary who do just that, and I have come to know many of them both as leaders I admire and even more as friends. Foreign Minister Janos Martonyi and State Secretary Zsolt Nemeth are two such individuals; I have been moved to witness their eloquent defense of persecuted minorities, and I’ve been touched by their courageous willingness to honestly face Hungarian history – even its darkest chapters. They do much to bring honor to their country, and I know they represent the millions of decent Hungarians who reject the old prejudices of the past.

I spoke a moment ago about Raoul Wallenberg’s suitcase, now sitting in bronze outside this great Parliament of Man as a reminder of his unfinished work.

His suitcase is waiting there for me.  It is waiting there for you. It is now up to us to pick up that suitcase and carry his work forward for as long as we are able in the fight for human rights and justice for all of humanity. That is the work of this exhibit, and we must make it our work as well.

Thank you."

Lantos Foundation Statement - Mikhail Khodorkovsky Is a Free Man

Today Mikhail Khodorkovsky is a free man. He is free not only in the narrow sense of having been freed from illegitimate imprisonment. He possesses the deeper freedom that comes from having met the test of conscience and courage. This deeper freedom comes when someone faces unjust persecution at the hands of a corrupt judiciary and authoritarian state and nonetheless maintains their integrity and principles. Like other prisoners of conscience before him -  men like Natan Sharansky and Nelson Mandela - Mikhail has shown a deep determination to fight for a more just and democratic world. Furthermore, he has been willing to pay a high personal price for his ideals. Mr. Khodorkovsky’s demonstration of character and determination has won the respect of his fellow Russians and millions of others around the world.