A proposed law aimed at stopping human rights abuses in Vietnam—“The Vietnam Human Rights Act of 2012”—was approved by the House human rights panel that oversees international human rights at a hearing Wednesday chaired by U.S. Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04). “The Vietnamese government continues to be an egregious violator of a broad array of human rights,” said Smith, a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee who chairs its Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, and Human Rights. ... Read more

Violence, potential humanitarian crisis and the post-2011 election aftermath in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) were the topics of a congressional hearing Thursday held before the House panel that oversees international human rights and African issues that is chaired by Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04). “Suspicion persists that this election was manipulated in favor of incumbent President Joseph Kabila,” stated Smith, a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and chairman ... Read more

Human rights activists and victims of ongoing abuses at the hands of the Vietnamese Government testified before a House human rights panel hearing Tuesday chaired by U.S. Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04). “The Vietnamese government continues to be an egregious violator of a broad array of human rights,” said Smith, a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. “Despite the State Department’s decision in 2006 to remove Vietnam from the list of Countries of Particular Concern as designate... Read more

Congressman Chris Smith today addressed the tens of thousands of citizens who gathered to “March for Life” in the nation’s capital 39 years after the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortions. “Thank you for being an important part of the greatest human rights movement on earth—the selfless struggle by prayer, fasting and works to defend and protect all weak and vulnerable persons from the violence of abortion, infanticide, and euthanasia,” said Smith, the co-chairman of the House Bipar... Read more

Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04) took to the floor of the House of Representatives Monday to call for support of his “Belarus Democracy and Human Rights Act of 2011,” expected to be brought to the floor today for a final vote. “I thank the distinguished chairwoman for yielding and join her first in mourning the passing of Vaclav Havel, the great President and human rights crusader, one of the founders of Charter 77, a magnificent human rights manifesto, that took the Helsinki final act and turned... Read more

The Belarus Democracy and Human Rights Act of 2011, a bill to support people struggling for basic rights against Aleksandr Lukashenka—the man often called Europe’s last dictator—was given final approval late this afternoon by the U.S. House of Representatives. “The bill supports targeted sanctions,” said Smith, a senior member of the Committee and the Chairman of the Commission for Security and Cooperation in Europe, also called the Helsinki Commission. “This has been the worst political crackdo... Read more

Legislation authored by U.S. Helsinki Commission Chairman Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04) responding to the Belarusan government’s crackdown on human rights that began with the fraudulent December 19, 2010 Belarusan election, is expected to be passed by the House of Representatives Tuesday. Since last year’s fraudulent election, the Belarusan government of Alexander Lukashenka, infamous for heading “Europe’s last dictatorship,” has stepped up its campaign of repression against human rights and democrat... Read more

The U.S. China Commission today heard witnesses from the Office of U.S. Trade Representative and other experts who testified before the commission’s hearing “Ten Years in the WTO: Has China Kept Its Promises?” chaired by Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04). “As a member of the WTO, China has experienced tremendous economic growth and integration into the global economy, but China continues to massively violate the basic human rights of its own people and systematically undermine the rule of law,” said Smit... Read more

The wave of Internet censorship appearing in repressive regimes around the world and legislation introduced today—the Global Online Freedom Act (GOFA)—were the focus of a hearing held by Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04), chairman of the House panel that oversees international human rights. At the hearing of the House Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health and Human Rights, Chairman Smith described the deteriorating state of freedom of political and religious speech online and the growing danger fo... Read more

Imprisoned Chinese human rights activist and 2010 Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo was remembered by a series of witnesses offering heartfelt testimony before the Congressional-Executive Commission on China this week to mark one year since Liu’s Dec. 10, 2010 award ceremony and to examine China’s ongoing crackdown against human rights advocates. Experts testifying at the hearing addressed the Nobel Laureate’s long history of human rights advocacy and the influence of the prestigious award wit... Read more