2018 Lantos Rule of Law Lecture
The annual Lantos Rule of Law Lecture, established to offer perspective on Rule of Law issues and what can be done to bring productive change, will take place Monday, December 10th at the Johns Hopkins University in Washington, DC.
Welcoming Harold Hongju Koh, Sterling Professor of International Law, Yale Law School in conversation with Eliot Cohen, Vice Dean for Education and Academic Affairs, Robert E. Osgood Professor of Strategic Studies, Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.
Learn more about Harold Koh's book, The Trump Administration and International Law, here : https://tinyurl.com/y8dxwh3a
Learn more about the Lecture and Register here : https://tinyurl.com/y7y3m3xn
Why the West should remember the plight of Hong Kong during the G-20 - by 2018 #LantosPrize recipient Joshua Wong
"I can’t help but feel that Lantos would be saddened to see the dire situation facing Hong Kong in the aftermath of the 2014 pro-democracy Umbrella Movement in which I and so many others participated."
China Bars Dissident From Accepting U.S. Human Rights Award - The Daily Beast
“Documents show the court has denied his request to travel to the United States to receive the Lantos prize, an award from an American foundation honoring former House Foreign Affairs Committee chair Tom Lantos. Prior recipients of the prize include Hillary Clinton, the Dalai Lama, and Elie Wiesel. Wong, whose activist work was the subject of a 2017 Netflix documentary, would have accepted the award in Washington next month had he been able to travel.”
Statement on Reports the Trump Administration to Name Ant-Semitism Special Envoy
In May of 2017, the Lantos Foundation joined with past Religious Freedom Ambassadors and Special Envoys on anti-Semitism in urging the Trump administration to move quickly to nominate qualified candidates for these important posts. A year and a half later, the post of Special Envoy to Combat anti-Semitism remains unfilled in the Trump administration.
During the past 18 months the need for American leadership in confronting anti-Semitism has only become more acute. From the disturbing efforts in Poland to criminalize honest discussion about the Holocaust, to the murder of French Holocaust survivor Mireille Knoll in Paris, the news is filled with grim reminders of the growing strength of anti-Semitism globally. And just a few days ago, 11 innocent worshipers at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh PA, were massacred by a homegrown Nazi.
Now more than ever, it is urgent that the Trump administration demonstrate its determination to confront this evil wherever it rears its ugly head. One important step in this regard is the appointment of the Special Envoy to Combat anti-Semitism with no further delay.
The Lantos Foundation is encouraged by news reports suggesting that an individual will be named to this position in the coming days. We will continue to monitor developments and urge the administration to not only name a Special Envoy, but to make the fight against anti-Semitism and racism a priority both at home and abroad.
May 2017 : Lantos Foundation Releases Open Letter to President Trump Urging Appointment of Key Envoys to Combat anti-Semitism and Advance International Religious Freedom
April, 2018 : Open Letter Urges President Trump to Appoint Special Envoy for Monitoring and Combating Anti-Semitism
Statement on Tree of Life Synagogue Attack, Pittsburgh
Dear Friends,
When I first heard the shocking news about the attack on the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, I immediately thought of my late father, Tom Lantos. He came to the United States as a young teenager after surviving the horrors of the Holocaust in his native Hungary. He had a deep and abiding love for America, a land of freedom that opened its doors to this young persecuted immigrant, and offered him a second chance at life. Dad went on to serve his beloved adopted country as the only Holocaust survivor ever elected to Congress. He was one of our nation’s most powerful advocates for human rights and justice.
I found myself wishing that Dad were still alive to lend his uniquely eloquent voice to our public discussion about this tragic event and the dangerous vein of violent anti-Semitism it has exposed. Then, upon further reflection, I realized that he had already left behind words that can absolutely help all of us through this difficult time.
My father’s most memorable quote is, “The veneer of civilization is paper thin. We are its guardians, and we can never rest.” These wise words reflect the sober reality that the freedom, tolerance, security, and rule of law that are the hallmarks of a civilized society can never be taken for granted. This is something my father understood from the sorrows of his own lived experiences. His words also make it clear that the responsibility for defending our sacred civilization rests with each of us. That is a bracing, but also empowering thought; one that we must take to heart. This moment is a challenge to each of us, but I know we can and must be equal to it.
Despite the suffering of his early life that gave my father a clear-eyed view of the world and the evil that exists in it, he somehow remained a man of profound optimism. Whenever I faced personal setbacks or despaired over a crisis in the life of our nation, he would say in his elegant Hungarian accent, “Don’t worry darling, we are just bending a windy corner of history and right around this corner are bright blue skies and wonderful possibilities.” If he could believe that after all he had experienced, then surely we can too.
Like all of us, my father would have been heartbroken and horrified by the massacre at the Tree of Life Synagogue. He would have mourned and honored the slain, condemned the hatred and evil that took their lives, and then he would have gotten right back to work guarding our shared civilization. That is exactly what I intend to do.
Katrina Lantos Swett
President
Katrina Lantos Swett on The Newsmakers : Pastor Brunson Panel
Today, The Newsmakers featured Lantos Foundation President, Katrina Lantos Swett in a panel broadcast on the recent dramatic release of Pastor Andrew Brunson from Turkish detention.
Joined by former US diplomat and White House official Matthew Bryza, former Turkish Ambassador to the US Faruk Logoglu, and political analyst and author Onur Erim, Katrina discussed Pastor Brunson's release and the degradation of rule of law in Turkey.
Disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi
The disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi should send shudders down the back of any person or government that respects the rule of law, democracy, and freedom of the press. We call on the Trump Administration to fully support this investigation, halt further engagement with the Saudi government until more is known in this rapidly evolving story, and if appropriate, immediately consider Magnitsky sanctions. Sending our Treasury Secretary to Riyadh in less than two weeks sends the wrong message about the US's intent to uphold the rule of law and basic human decency.
Lantos Foundation Welcomes Release of Pastor Brunson Imprisoned in Turkey
Today, the Lantos Foundation released a statement on the release of Pastor Andrew Brunson from Turkish imprisonment and called on the US to advocate for Erdoğan’s targeted communities.
CONCORD, NH – The Lantos Foundation welcomes the release of Pastor Andrew Brunson and hopes that it will be a harbinger of further positive steps for Turkey in the near future. The charges against Pastor Brunson were completely lacking in credibility from the very beginning, as was clear to all fair and impartial observers. This earnest man of God was unjustly caught up in President Erdoğan’s outrageous lashing out at perceived enemies in the aftermath of the 2016 coup attempt.
Since 2016, as many as 160,000 people in Turkey have been arrested, detained, or fired from their jobs - including 245 imprisoned journalists and more than 100 additional journalists who have had arrest warrants issued against them. This ongoing purge has been part of a systematic degradation of democracy and human rights in Turkey and growing authoritarianism on the part of Mr. Erdoğan.
Turkey also continues to hold an estimated twenty Turkish-Americans and three Turkish employees of the American consular mission in Turkey who are being unjustly detained for no credible reason.
Lantos Foundation President Katrina Lantos Swett said:
“The release of Pastor Brunson is both an answer to prayers and a vindication of the importance of standing up for religious freedom, human rights, and the rule of law; both at home and abroad. It is important that in the midst of our celebration of Pastor Brunson’s well deserved freedom that we not forget the tens of thousands of other victims of Erdoğan’s brutal and lawless crackdown on Turkish society. The US government cannot declare victory and move on. We must forcefully advocate on behalf of other targeted communities, whether they be minority Christians, Jews, Gulenist Muslims, peaceful Kurds, journalists, academicians, civil society defenders, or others. Turkey is a crucial NATO ally and this should strengthen our determination to hold the Erdoğan government accountable for its widespread violation of international human rights law.”
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The Hill Op-Ed : An unlikely Ugandan hero emerges
Today, The Hill featured our op-ed, "An unlikely Ugandan hero emerges" outlining Parliament member Bobi Wine's arrest and torture at the hands of President Museveni’s security forces.
"Following enormous international outcry over the abuse of Bobi Wine, he was permitted to leave Uganda to receive medical treatment. When I met him in Washington, Wine was preparing to return to Uganda despite the very real risk that his well-being, and perhaps his life, could be in jeopardy. Upon his arrival, his fans were prohibited from greeting him and he was taken directly to his home via police escort. Despite these realities, I remain struck by Wine’s quiet courage, his steely determination, and his willingness to sacrifice for a cause larger than himself." - Katrina Lantos Swett, Lantos Foundation President
