Helsinki Commission

Statement

This week I participated in a Helsinki Commission briefing entitled "Political Prisoners in Central Asia." Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan have some of the highest numbers of political prisoners or prisoners of conscience in the former Soviet Union. Repressive regimes in the region use restrictive laws to arrest dissidents, political opposition, human rights activists, journalists, and members of certain religions, or fabricate other vague charges. One of the witnesses who testified, Sanjar Umarov, lives in the Memphis area and was a political prisoner for four years. He discussed having been a political prisoner in Uzbekistan and the terrible treatment he received while in detention. I worked with Senators Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker to get Umarov out of prison and out of Uzbekistan.

I also participated in a Helsinki Commission hearing on the Ukrainian parliamentary elections that will be held in October. Under President Victor Yanukovych, Ukraine has experienced democratic regression, including the unjust imprisonment of former Prime Minister Yuliya Tymoshenko and other senior members of her government. There are widespread concerns that the upcoming elections -- in contrast to the four previous national elections -- will not meet international standards. Experts from three key organizations working in Ukraine discussed their work with political parties, civil society and domestic observers ahead of the elections, the electoral framework, as well as the broader political context.

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