The quest for justice and freedom for Jacob Ostreicher, an American businessman imprisoned without formal charges for 20 months in Bolivia, continued at a hearing today where American actor and activist Sean Penn came before the human rights subcommittee chaired by Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04), a leading human rights advocate in Congress. “On June 4th, it will be two years since he was imprisoned. Bolivian officials are employing delay tactics and giving excuses for his continued detention th... Read more

The long, ongoing struggle of Jacob Ostreicher, an American businessman detained for nearly two years in Bolivia without formal charges, will be the focus of a congressional hearing Monday held by Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04), chairman of the House panel that oversees international human rights. Ostreicher, an American businessman imprisoned without formal charges for over 18 months in Bolivia, was finally let out of prison on bail on December 18, 2012, but cannot leave the country. American ... Read more

The fight against one of the deadliest diseases in the world was the topic of a hearing held Friday by Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04), Chairman of the House congressional panel that oversees global health. The latest global estimates report about 219 million cases of malaria in 2010 and an estimated 660,000 deaths. An estimated 85 percent of the fatalities are children. Spread by infected mosquitos, most deaths occur among children living in Africa, where a child dies every minute from malaria.... Read more

By Peter Foster in Washington for The Telegraph - The admission in advice to David Cameron comes after the Downing Street continues to block a judicial inquiry into the 1989 murder of the Belfast lawyer, Pat Finucane, who was a victim of the campaign, a US congressional committee was told yesterday. Last year Mr Cameron made an apology in the Commons to the Finucane family, admitting "shocking" collusion in his murder between Loyalist paramilitaries and RUC officers but refusing a public inquiry... Read more

Legislation on parental abduction of U.S. children overseas, human rights issues in Vietnam and the crisis in the Congo was passed at the first bill mark-up of the 113th Congress by the House panel that oversees human rights chaired by Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04). Three bills were approved in voice votes of the Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations: H.R. 1951, the Sean and David Goldman International Child Abduction Prevention and Return Act of ... Read more

Today U.S. Reps. Chris Smith (R-NJ) and Dan Lipinski (D-Ill.), co-chairs of the Bipartisan Congressional Pro-Life Caucus, and U.S. Senator Roger Wicker (R-MS), announced the introduction of the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act. The legislation, which has been introduced as H.R. 7 in the House and S. 946 in the Senate, has the support of 95 cosponsors in the House and 21 in the Senate. Click here to read the text of the bill. Congressman Smith (NJ-04) said of the bills: “More than 100 Members... Read more

The British government’s refusal to conduct an inquiry into its collusion with paramilitaries responsible for murdering human rights lawyer Patrick Finucane was the topic of a hearing held Wednesday by Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04), Chairman of the House congressional panel that oversees human rights. The British government committed to hold the inquiry in 2001, as part of the peace process following on the Good Friday Agreement. It has ever since evaded following through on its commitment, an... Read more

Ewen MacAskill in Washington for the Guardian The British government was heavily criticised at a US congressional committee on Wednesday for reneging on a pledge to hold an inquiry into one of the most controversial incidents of the Northern Ireland Troubles, the killing of Belfast civil rights lawyer Pat Finucane. The Republican chairman of the committee, Chris Smith, accused the British government of being guilty of a "massive injustice" by protecting "those responsible for the murder". The fa... Read more

The British government’s refusal to conduct an inquiry into its collusion with paramilitaries responsible for murdering human rights lawyer Patrick Finucane will be the the topic of a hearing held Wednesday by Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04), Chairman of the House congressional panel that oversees human rights. The British government committed to hold the inquiry in 2001, as part of the peace process following on the Good Friday Agreement. It has ever since evaded following through on its commit... Read more

Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04) recently met with members of the New Jersey Dental Association (NJDA). The members discussed a range of health issues—especially and including dental care. Among the items talked about was the advancement of oral health programs and ways to improve enhance public—private partnerships to benefit New Jersey’s seniors and others in need. They also reviewed legislative efforts to boost recommended dental care for low income individuals. The group is in Washington on b... Read more