Congressman Chris Smith met with a group of high school students who traveled to Washington, D.C. from the Fourth Congressional District in New Jersey on March 17, 2011. The students, from the "Government and Law Related Experiences" (GALRE) class at Hamilton High School North (Nottingham High School) in Mercer County, N.J., went to the House of Representatives gallery -- the balcony area above the floor of the House -- to watch a House congressional vote take place. On the steps of the Capitol ... Read more

Fresh from an appearance at Saturday's St. Patrick's Day parade in Hamilton, U.S. Rep. Chris Smith turned to more serious matters Wednesday, hosting a hearing on peace and justice in Northern Ireland. Called "Northern Ireland: Why Justice in Individual Cases Matters," the hearing centered on the bloody violence waged in Northern Ireland during a nearly four-decade conflict between unionist and nationalist forces there. Smith, R-Robbinsville, is the chairman of the Commission on Security and Coop... Read more

On the floor of the House today Congressman Smith lauded the spirit and tenacity of human rights leader Oscar Biscet, who endured nearly 12 years imprisonment in Cuba and for whom Smith recently led a congressional nomination to receive the Nobel Prize: "Nobel Peace Prize nominee Dr. Oscar Biscet of Cuba, one of the bravest and brightest human rights defenders on Earth, was released on March 11 from a wretched Cuban prison where he had endured 8 years of torture with periods of solitary confinem... Read more

The continued search for justice in Northern Ireland was the topic of a hearing chaired today by Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-4th), Chairman of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE), also called the Helsinki Commission. Entitled "Northern Ireland: Why Justice in Individual Cases Matters," the hearing featured victims of past violence who have called for justice and resolution. “Today family members of people killed in Northern Ireland will tell us about their efforts to learn the t... Read more

U.S. Representative Chris Smith (NJ-04) Saturday participated in the St. Patrick's Day Parade in Hamilton Township, Mercer County, N.J., to mark the rich heritage and contributions of Irish immigrants who have settled in the United States, even as he plans to chair a hearing this week on law enforcement and justice issues in Northern Ireland. Smith, Chairman of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (U.S. Helsinki Commission), and Co-Chairman Senator Benjamin L. Cardin (MD), will h... Read more

Imprisoned human rights defender Dr. Óscar Biscet was released by Cuban officials on Friday. Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04), a leading voice on human rights in Congress and chairman of the human rights subcommittee, has been a leading advocate for Dr. Biscet for almost a decade. “We rejoice with Óscar and his wife, Elsa Morejón, that they are reunited,” Smith said. “Óscar has had serious health problems in prison – no wonder, given the wretched, life-threatening conditions in which he was held ... Read more

Like any loving father, Christopher Savoie just wanted to do the best thing for his two kids. In August 2009, his Japanese ex-wife broke U.S. law and abducted their children from his home in Tennessee, moving them to Japan. But when Savoie went to get them weeks later, he was arrested. It didn't matter that he had legal custody in both countries, that his ex-wife had violated a U.S. court order or that there was a U.S. warrant issued for her arrest. Nor did the fact that Savoie was a naturalized... Read more

On Tuesday, March 8, Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04), Chairman of the Africa, Global Health and Human Rights Subcommittee, will hold a hearing with the State Department, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and human rights groups, including actor-writer-director, Ben Affleck, founder of the Eastern Congo Initiative (ECI). The hearing, entitled “The Democratic Republic of the Congo: Securing Peace in the Midst of Tragedy,” will be held at 1 p.m. in Room 2172 of the Rayburn House Office Bui... Read more

The tragedy and hopes for peace in the Congo was the focus of a hearing held today by U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04), Chairman of the House Africa, Global Health and Human Rights Subcommittee. The U.S. State Department, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and human rights groups, including actor-writer-director, Ben Affleck, founder of the Eastern Congo Initiative (ECI) were witnesses at the the hearing, entitled “The Democratic Republic of the Congo: Securing Peace in the Midst of ... Read more

Congressman Chris Smith and human rights activists addressed China’s brutal women rights record at a Monday press conference marking the 100th Anniversary of International Women’s Day. Speakers, including an ex-political prisoner and a Tiananmen Square massacre survivor, will appeal to the United Nations to end its complicity in coercive population control and defend women against violence of the one-child policy. "As we mark the 100th International Women’s Day tomorrow, we appeal to the United ... Read more