U.S. Rep. Chris. Smith (R-NJ), Chairman of the House of Representatives' global human rights subcommittee, held a hearing on September 27, 2018 entitled "China’s War on Christianity and Other Religious Faiths." Witnesses testifying included Dr. Tenzin Dorjee, the Commissioner of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom; Dr. Bob Fu, Founder and President of the human rights group ChinaAid, and; Dr. Thomas Farr, President of the human rights group Religious Freedom Institute. (Click ... Read more

On Wednesday, Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04) chaired a hearing of the House Subcommittee on Africa entitled "Reviewing Current Developments in Ethiopia." The hearing featured witnesses from the State Department and Ethiopian-American diaspora organizations. The following are excerpts of Chairman Smith's opening remarks: WATCH SLIDE SHOW AT LEFT Today’s hearing will come to order. Our first order of business is to note that today many Ethiopians are celebrating the start of the New Year under the Ethio... Read more

"Crisis in the Republic of Cameroon” was the title of a hearing chaired by Congressman Chris Smith (R-NJ), chair of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations, on Wednesday, June 27. Testifying at Smith’s hearing were: Hon. Donald Yamamoto, Acting Assistant Secretary at the State Department's Bureau of Africa Affairs, Hans de Marie Heungoup, Senior Analyst for Central Africa at the International Crisis Group, Efi Tembon E... Read more

“Human Rights Concerns in Sri Lanka” was the title of a hearing chaired by Congressman Chris Smith (R-NJ), chair of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations, on Wednesday, June 20. Testifying at Smith’s hearing were: J.S. Tissainayagam, journalist and human rights advocate, Michael Jerryson, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Religious Studies at Youngstown State University, David M. Crane, Principal at Justice Consultancy ... Read more

“China in Africa” was the title of a hearing chaired by Congressman Chris Smith (R-NJ), chair of the House Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations, on Wednesday, March 7. Testifying at Smith’s hearing were: Gordon Chang, author of “The Coming Collapse of China,” Joshua Meservey, senior policy analyst on Africa and the Middle East at the Heritage Foundation, Scott Morris, senior fellow at the Center for Global Development, and Anita Plummer, Ph... Read more

"Zimbabwe After Mugabe” was the title of a hearing chaired by Congressman Chris Smith (R-NJ), chair of the House Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations, on Wednesday, Feb. 28. After the country’s long-time strongman Robert Mugabe was ousted from power by the military last fall, and with elections scheduled for later this year, the country stands at a crossroads, Smith said. Future prospects for authentic democracy and rule of law reforms hang ... Read more

Congressman Chris Smith (R-NJ) gave the following opening statement at a Nov. 9, 2017 hearing he chaired entitled “Resolving the Political Crisis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo,” held by the House Subcommittee on Africa and Global Human Rights: The Democratic Republic of the Congo was supposed to conduct elections one year ago this month in order to achieve the required transition of political power by December 19. However, after years of stalling on making preparations for elections, t... Read more

Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H. Con. Res. 67, calling on the People’s Republic of China to unconditionally release Liu Xiaobo and, with his wife Liu Xia, allow them to freely meet with family and seek medical treatment overseas if necessary. Liu Xiaobo, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2010, was in the midst of serving an 11 year sentence when he was diagnosed with liver cancer that had metastasized throughout his body. The resolution, introduced by Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04),... Read more

At today’s hearing of the bipartisan Congressional Executive Commission on China (CECC), Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04), co-Chair of the Commission, announced the introduction of a resolution urging the Administration to seek the immediate humanitarian medical parole for Nobel Peace Prize laureate Liu Xiaobo, a celebrated human rights champion who was diagnosed with terminal liver cancer but is not being allowed to seek medical treatment at advanced medical facilities outside of China. Joining Smith i... Read more

As the nation continues to mourn the death of Otto Warmbier—the American student who died after being held in horrendous conditions by the North Korean regime for 17 months—Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04), Chairman of the House panel on Africa and global human rights, is calling on the State Department to increase their efforts to free a naturalized American citizen being held without charge by the government of Congo-Brazzaville since March 2016. “The principle of due process demands that Congo-Brazza... Read more