Washington Times: Well-behaved women seldom make history, Three outspoken Muslims are honored for their courage

By Katrina Lantos-Swett - - Tuesday, December 1, 2015

Heretic. Rabble-rouser. Criminal. These words have been used and abused to describe many remarkable figures throughout history. Voltaire, when he used his unparalleled pen to demand that the clerical hierarchy of his day truly evaluate itself. Martin Luther, when he set out to reform a faith that he had dedicated his life to. And Martin Luther King Jr., when he issued a prophetic call to his country to fully respect the rights of all of its citizens.

Next month, the Lantos Foundation will proudly honor three courageous women of Muslim heritage who have chosen to make history, joining the ranks of those whom time has vindicated as righteous and brave agents of change. Rebiya Kadeer, Irshad Manji and Ayaan Hirsi Ali are all cut from the same cloth as these towering figures of an earlier time. They, too, have been vilified, but we strongly believe these women will go down in history as bold leaders, audacious reformers and righteous rebels. As has been widely observed, well-behaved women seldom make history.

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Huffington Post- Interpol and Pichugin : Unwilling Pawns in Putin's Yukos Game by Katrina Lantos Swett

In 2014, the Russian government surprised the world by releasing two high-profile prisoners of conscience and former Yukos executives, Mikhail Khodorkovsky and Platon Lebedev, each of whom who had been imprisoned on what were widely recognized to be false criminal charges. Though this was in part an act of goodwill on the eve of the Sochi Olympics, it also gave hope that Russia was signaling a turn towards an improved respect for the rule of law. However, since the start of those Olympics, it has been clear that such hopes were ill-founded. One only need to look to the current treatment of the first Yukos employee arrested, Alexei Pichugin, and that of the scores of Yukos officials who managed to flee Russia, to see that Mr. Putin's tactics remain an example of the legal nihilism that characterize Russian justice and are part of a greater pattern of feigned rapprochement.

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90 International personalities and CSOs call for the immediate and unconditional release of Vietnamese prisoner, Buddhist monk and dissident Thich Quang Do

Paris-Bergen, 17 November 2015 - As U.S. President Barack Obama arrives in Southeast Asia this week, ninety (90) international personalities and civil society organizations worldwide have signed a letter urging the President to press for the release of Vietnam's most longstanding prisoner of conscience, Thich Quang Do, leader of the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam and prominent human rights defender.

Initiated by the Vietnam Committee on Human Rights (Paris) and the Rafto Foundation (Norway), together with Amnesty International, FIDH, Civil Rights Defenders, World Movement for Democracy, Lantos Foundation, PEN International, People in Need Foundation and Agir Ensemble pour les Droits de l’Homme, the letter’s 90 signatories include Nobel Peace Prize laureates Jody Williams, Shirin Ebadi, Mairead Maguire and Tawakkol Karman, religious figures such as Mons. Vaclav Maly, Bishop of Prague, Fr. José Raúl Vera López, Bishop of Saltillo Mexico, Mgr Bulambo Lembelembe Josué of the DR of Congo, academics, writers, journalists, legislators, 23 members of the European Parliament, Lord Avebury, Baroness Berridge and Lord Alton of the UK House of Lords, numerous Rafto Prize laureates, human rights defenders and democracy activists from all over the globe.

The letter is sent to President Obama as he makes a landmark visit to the Philippines and Malaysia to attend the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit and the U.S.-ASEAN and East Asia Summits, where he will meet with Vietnamese leaders. This is a symbolic year for the U.S. and Vietnam, as it marks 20 years of U.S.-Vietnam diplomatic relations and the 40th Anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War.

Human rights are the signatories’ major concern. In Vietnam today, religious leaders, civil society activists and bloggers face daily harassments and intimidation from the authorities simply for peacefully expressing their views, and have no legal framework to protect them, at the same time as the country seeks to strengthen economic and security ties with the U.S, they wrote. 

The signatories stress that U.S.-Vietnam relations are only sustainable if they are founded on the mutual respect of democratic freedoms and fundamental human rights including the freedoms of expression, association, religion or belief and movement. The release of Thich Quang Do, they said, would be a “truly historic gesture” that would “give Vietnam the opportunity to demonstrate its willingness for progress, and reaffirm the United States’ determination to make human rights the cornerstone of this strengthened relationship.”

Thich Quang Do, 87, is Fifth Supreme Patriarch of the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam (UBCV), a renowned spiritual leader, scholar, dissident and 16-times Nobel Peace Prize nominee. He has spent more than three decades in detention for his peaceful advocacy of religious freedom, democracy and human rights. For protesting the creation of a State-sponsored Buddhist Church, in 1982, Thich Quang Do was sent into internal exile in northern Vietnam for ten years along with his mother, who died of cold and hunger in the harsh environment. In 1995, he was sentenced to five years in prison for organising a rescue mission for flood victims in the Mekong Delta.

Released in 1998 due to international pressure, Thich Quang Do was placed under house arrest at the Thanh Minh Zen Monastery in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). His communications are monitored and he is denied freedom of movement and citizenship rights. From house arrest, Thich Quang Do continues to press Vietnam to embrace democratic pluralism and respect all human rights for all.

For more information:

Vo Van Ai and Penelope Faulkner, Vietnam Committee on Human Rights, Paris (English, French, Vietnamese), Email: vietnam.committee@gmail.com – Tel. (33.1) 45 98 30 85 – www.queme.net

Therese Jebsen, Rafto Foundation for Human Rights, Norway (English, Norwegian), Email: therese.jebsen@rafto.no – Tel. (47) 41 51 13 90 – www.rafto.no

Lantos Foundation Commends E.U. for Honoring Raif Badawi with Top Human Rights Award

The Lantos Foundation for Human Rights and Justice has been at the forefront with those fighting for the release of Raif Badawi, and would like to commend the European Union for awarding Raif Badawi the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought. 

This brave man's only crime has been to advocate for the values of free speech, tolerance, religious reform, and the separation of mosque and state. He has faced brutal punishment and unjust incarceration, and it is time for the government of Saudi Arabia to show justice and mercy by releasing him and allowing him to be reunited with his family in Canada. 

Those of us who live in freedom have a moral duty to stand shoulder to shoulder with brave activists who dare to speak out for the fundamental human rights of all of us. Once again, we commend the European union for honoring Raif and look forward to the day when he can receive his prize in person. 

MEDIA ADVISORY - 2015 Lantos Prize Laureates Announced

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 27, 2015

MEDIA CONTACT
Kate Ray, Bluelight Strategies, kate@bluelightstrategies.com, 202-265-3000

 
 

Kadeer, Manji, Hirsi Ali, To Be Named 2015 Lantos Prize Laureates
Three Women of Muslim Heritage to Receive Distinguished Lantos Award

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Lantos Foundation for Human Rights and Justice announced today that it will award the 2015 Lantos Human Rights Prize to three courageous female leaders; Rebiya Kadeer, Irshad Manji, and Ayaan Hirsi Ali. These three laureates are fearless leaders, reformers and rebels who have been willing to defy social and cultural norms to speak out against human rights abuses. The award ceremony will be held in Washington, DC on December 10, 2015. It will be open to the press and coverage is invited.

“The Lantos Foundation is proud to honor Rebiya Kadeer, Irshad Manji, and Ayaan Hirsi Ali for their courage and towering moral strength,” said Katrina Lantos Swett, president of the Lantos Foundation. “All three laureates have faced down personal danger to stand up for the vulnerable and persecuted. They have eloquently advocated for the fundamental freedoms that are the sole guarantors of the rights of all.”

Rebiya Kadeer is an internationally recognized human rights leader who serves as President of the World Uyghur Congress and has earned the title of the “Mother of All Uyghurs” for her tireless advocacy for the rights of the oppressed Muslims of China. Kadeer rose from poverty to become one of the most successful entrepreneurs in China and has used her wealth to lift up other Uyghur women through the 1,000 Mothers movement and other philanthropic endeavors. Her peaceful struggle for the dignity and basic rights of the Uyghur people led to her six year imprisonment by the Chinese government. Since her exile to the United States, Kadeer has become the recognized global leader of the Uyghur people and an inspiring example of a faithful Muslim woman who leads her people.

Irshad Manji is a bestselling author, award winning documentary film maker, and educator who has been a fearless advocate for a reformist approach to Islam. Manji is the founder of the Moral Courage Project, which seeks to inspire individuals to exhibit the moral courage required to do the right thing in the face of fear. Manji has modeled this integrity and bravery in her own life. In the face of repeated death threats, she has refused to abandon the faith she loves while eloquently arguing for reforms that will open a path towards reconciliation between faith and freedom. Irshad has received numerous awards, and has been glowingly described as gutsy, audacious, bold, and brilliant by voices ranging from the New York Times, to the Jarkarta Post, to Oprah Winfrey.

Ayaan Hirsi Ali, a survivor of childhood abuse and violence, including female genital mutilation (FGM), fled a forced marriage and sought asylum in the Netherlands. There, she completed her education and rose from being a maid and translator to an elected member of the Dutch Parliament. In 2004, Theo Van Gogh, her collaborator on a film critical of the treatment of women in Islam, was assassinated in broad daylight and Hirsi Ali was forced into hiding in the face of death threats. She then moved to the United States and has since been an outspoken opponent of child marriage, FGM and honor violence. She established the AHA Foundation to combat these abuses against girls and women and to argue unflinchingly that no culture, tradition, or religion can be permitted to justify violence against women or girls. Hirsi Ali is also a determined defender of liberal democracy and has been hailed for her intellect, candor, and courage in confronting inconvenient and uncomfortable truths. She is a bestselling author, and has been named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by TIME magazine. 

The Lantos Foundation established the Lantos Human Rights Prize in 2009 to honor and bring attention to heroes of the human rights movement. It is awarded annually to an individual or individuals that best exemplify the Foundation’s mission, namely to be a vital voice standing up for the values of decency, dignity, freedom and justice in every corner of the world. Former recipients of the Lantos Prize include His Holiness the Dalai Lama, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former Israeli President Shimon Peres, Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel, Rwandan humanitarian Paul Rusesabagina and Chinese activist Chen Guangcheng.

The prize also serves to commemorate the late Congressman Tom Lantos, the only Holocaust survivor ever elected to the U.S. Congress and a prominent advocate for human rights during his nearly three decades as a U.S. Representative.

Additional details about the award ceremony will be announced shortly.

For more information, call the Lantos Foundation at 603-226-3636. Press inquiries should be directed to 202.265.3000. 


                                                                                      

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Lantos Foundation International Advisory Committee Co-Chair, delivers relief supplies to Syrian refugees

Annette Lantos Tillemann Dick , Co-Chair of the Lantos Foundation's International Advisory Committee, recently returned from a humanitarian mission to Hungary delivering relief  supplies to thousands of Syrian families in refugee camps.  Mrs. Lantos Tillemann-Dick joined forces with the Tom Lantos Institute, Airline Ambassadors, and the international humanitarian services of the the LDS church. Her efforts are in the best tradition of the late Congressman Lantos who was indefatigable in fighting for the dignity and rights of persecuted people in every corner of the globe.    

Desperate China crushing its own people: USA Today. By: Chen Guangcheng & Katrina Lantos Swett

"Since July 10, Chinese authorities have been detaining human rights lawyers and activists in unprecedented numbers. An estimated 250 have been taken into custody. Police and thugs are grabbing people from their homes and offices, and even from restaurants, without warning or rationale. They are being interrogated, threatened and accused of fabricated crimes. Many are being held without access to family, friends, legal representation, or any other semblance of due process under the law."

Continue reading:

http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2015/09/24/china-xi-jinping-visit-obama-human-rights-lawyers-column/72671716/

Lantos Foundation Defends the American Tradition of No Religious Test for Office

The Lantos foundation is non-profit non-partisan organization and as such does not take positions on political candidates. However, as a human rights organization that seeks to advance the robust protection of freedom of religion, conscience, and belief, we feel it is important for us to speak out on the recent discussion of whether or not a Muslim American should hold the office of President of the United States. 

In many ways religious freedom is the well spring from which many of our other cherished human rights flow. Freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of assembly, and freedom of association –all of these hinge upon a rights frame work that honors and upholds the fundamental right of freedom of religion. The framers of our constitution understood the importance of protecting the right of all citizens of whatever faith or belief to participate fully and equally in the life of our society. Not only is this belief enshrined in the first amendment to the Bill of Rights, but equally importantly it is spelled out in Article V Paragraph 3 of the Constitution. There it states with utter clarity that, “…no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States.” 

At the time of America’s founding, such forward thinking and visionary ideas about religious freedom and equality were rare.  The subsequent centuries have borne out the wisdom of our founders in establishing a Republic where the separation of church and state, the full and free exercise of religion, and the equality of all before the law is robustly defended. In many ways this historically unique American formulation has been the key to our remarkable success as a society, and we have seen it emulated in constitutional charters and human rights documents around the globe. Furthermore, we can see the disastrous consequences in the form of religious repression and persecution, brutal sectarian violence, and instability in societies that fail to provide strong protection for this fundamental human right.

That is why it was so distressing to hear comments suggesting that a faithful Muslim would not be welcome to serve as President of the United States. Not only do these comments reflect a profound misunderstanding of the US Constitution and our national traditions, but they represent an egregious slander against the Muslim faith and against millions of patriotic Muslim American citizens. This is unacceptable.

We encourage all those who would seek the highest office in the land to live by and defend our first freedom –the freedom of religion, conscience, and belief. Furthermore, we would hope that in their communications and indeed in their conduct that they would seek to reflect our nation’s most honored values of liberty, justice and equality for all.

 

Lantos Foundation Supports the Call for Urgent Medical Evacuation of Likely Poisoned Russian Democracy Activist

The Lantos Foundation supports the request for an urgent medical evacuation of Russian political activist Vladimir Kara-Murza. Kara-Murza fell suddenly ill on May 27th and remains unconscious. It is widely suspected that he may have been a victim of poisoning.

Kara Murza has been a longtime member of Russia’s political opposition and it is believed he may have been targeted for attack following the release of a documentary film by Open Russia, a Russian civil society organization where Kara-Murza works as the coordinator. The film details allegations of rampant corruption and human rights abuses by the government of Chechen ruler Ramzan Kadyrov.

Mr. Kara-Murza’s wife, Evgenia Kara-Murza, issued the following statement asking for her husband’s evacuation;

“My husband Vladimir Kara-Murza suddenly fell ill on May 27, 2015, and was hospitalized in Moscow with symptoms of poisoning. In order to get an independent medical assessment of his condition I have requested an urgent medical evacuation to a medical center in Europe or Israel where full toxicology testing and treatment can be done. “

Lantos Foundation President, Katrina Lantos Swett, said;

“It is vital that Vladimir Kara-Murza be immediately evacuated to an appropriate medical facility where he can receive emergency treatment and where an independent evaluation of the circumstances leading to his mysterious collapse can be conducted. Far too many courageous political activists have lost their lives under suspicious circumstances in Russia. This brave man must not become the latest victim in an increasingly dangerous political environment. We call upon the Russian government to honor the request of Mr. Kara-Murza’s wife for his prompt evacuation to a medical facility in Europe.”