“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

Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04) walked with thousands of marchers in the opening ceremony of the 2018 Special Olympics New Jersey Summer Games held the weekend of June 8-10 at the College of New Jersey (TCNJ) in Ewing Township, NJ. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Special Olympics, in which 2,500 athletes will compete in summer Olympic sporting events. Smith, an alumnus of TCNJ, formerly known as Trenton State College, also attended a Special Olympics reception where he met with TCNJ ... Read more

Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), who visited Vietnamese human rights defender Nguyen Van Dai in 2005 in his Hanoi law office, welcomed today his release from prison, along with the release of his law firm colleague, Le Thu Ha. “I am overjoyed that Nguyen Van Dai and his wife, along with Ms. Le Thu Ha, are now finally safe and free to speak and worship as they see fit,” Rep. Smith stated. “But I am saddened that the Vietnamese government choses to torture, jail, and exile some of its best and brightest c... Read more

Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), Chair of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa, released the following statement after Ethiopia lifted its state of emergency and accepted the terms of a peace agreement with Eritrea: “I welcome news of Ethiopia’s acceptance of the 2000 peace agreement with Eritrea as well as parliament’s approval of a bill to end the State of Emergency. I remain cautiously optimistic that Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed will continue along the direction of peace and respect for hum... Read more

As a result of the quick action taken by two elected officials, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has agreed to perform emergency dredging of the Manasquan Inlet to maintain safe navigation for boat traffic, Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) announced today in Point Pleasant Beach, where he was at the invitation of Mayor Steve Reid to inspect areas of the inlet first-hand. (Pictured left to right): Point Pleasant Beach Borough Councilman Andy Cortes, Mayor Steve Reid, Councilman Bob Santanello, Rep... Read more

Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), chair of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa, issued the following statement on Thursday: “It is the long-term geostrategic goal of China to replace the dollar as the world’s reserve currency, and its latest gambit occurred when central bankers and officials from 14 African nations discussed the viability of using China’s yuan as a reserve currency for the region. “For the sake of global human rights and anti-corruption efforts, it is critically important th... Read more

Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) was a guest on New Jersey 101.5 FM on Tuesday morning to talk with host Bill Spadea about an explosion in reported cases of Lyme Disease and other tick-borne diseases in New Jersey and other states. Smith recently authored and introduced HR 5900, the National Lyme and Tick-Borne Disease Control and Accountability Act, which would establish the Office of Oversight and Coordination to create and implement a new national strategy on tick-borne disease, expand and enhance res... Read more

Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), Chair of the House Subcommittee on Global Human Rights and a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, on Tuesday welcomed the release of the State Department’s annual International Religious Freedom Report and applauded Secretary Pompeo’s announcement of a Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom scheduled for July 25-26, 2018. “Getting the facts right on the global state of religious freedom is essential for the shaping of U.S. policy and priorities, and th... Read more

Lyme Disease and other tick-borne threats are exploding. And people in New Jersey—especially Monmouth and Ocean Counties—are among the hardest hit, causing disability and severe neurological consequences for thousands, many of whom don’t even know they have the disease or have been misdiagnosed. According to the Centers for Disease Control, which believes that Lyme disease is undercounted by approximately a factor of 10, 36,429 cases of Lyme were reported nationwide in 2016, the last year for w... Read more

Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) on Friday issued the following statement on the jury’s verdict in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas, which found Carlos and Jemima Guimarães guilty of one count of international parental kidnapping: “The verdict in this case underscores the extremely serious nature of international parental child abduction. I hope that the grandparents will now work to bring about the reunification of Dr. Brann with his son Nico, rather than continue to destroy th... Read more