Skip to main content

Congressman Cohen Addresses European Union – United States Parliamentary Consultation on Human Rights

May 25, 2021

Speaks following what he says was the U.S.’ “unfortunate close call with authoritarianism”

SANTA FE, New Mexico -- Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), a senior member of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, also known as the Helsinki Commission, today addressed remotely a meeting of the European Union – United States Parliamentary Consultation on Human Rights. He said he was speaking following the recent "unfortunate close call with authoritarianism" in the United States, and expressed concerns about the human rights outlook in Hong Kong, Belarus and Ukraine.

In his remarks, Congressman Cohen said in part:

"I, as Chairman of a Subcommittee in the House Judiciary Committee, on Civil Rights, Civil Liberties and the Constitution, am a strong supporter of human rights, Magnitsky sanctions, and the strong voices that can be raised around the world to bring recognition to the human rights abuses that we see, and there are too many, but we can never remain silent.

"We have seen abuses in Hong Kong…where people…have been shut off from free speech and democracy. I have been to Belarus, to Minsk, twice, and was shocked with what's going on with the airplane incident , let alone the detention of 35,000 people and the efforts to quell the voices of the public concerning the election and questions of its legality.

"I met a young lady, just in passing; she was a wait-person in Minsk. And I asked her if she liked being in Minsk. And she leaned down to me and she whispered, which in itself says something about the society, and she told me, no, she wants to leave; there's nothing here for her. I think of that young lady and what she might be experiencing today with air travel and human rights abuses and government lockdowns on human rights and protests and free elections.

"But we see it from Hong Kong to Belarus; we see it in Ukraine, and we see it in other places where authoritarianism has taken hold. But I'm proud to be part of this process. I welcome it. I think it's a key part of our making the world a better place to live. We all share the same small planet the same limited time and we must make it better."

See the entire statement here.