[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 64 (Thursday, May 10, 2001)]
[Senate]
[Page S4815]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page S4815]]
                       THE MOSCOW HELSINKI GROUP

  Mr. CAMPBELL. Mr. President, May 12th marks the twenty-fifth 
anniversary of the founding of one of the most significant human rights 
groups of the 20th century, the Moscow Group to Monitor Implementation 
of the Helsinki Final Act.
  On August 1, 1975, the United States, Canada, and thirty-three 
nations of Europe, including the Soviet Union, signed the Final Act of 
the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe, the Helsinki 
Final Act. Among the agreement's provisions was a section devoted to 
respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms.
  The Soviet government viewing the document as a great foreign policy 
victory published the text, in its entirety, in ``Pravda,'' the 
Communist Party's widely circulated newspaper. That move proved to be 
decisive for the cause of human rights in the Soviet Union. A small 
group of human rights activists in Moscow, led by Professor Yuri Orlov, 
read the Helsinki Accords carefully and decided to take their 
government at its word.
  On May 12, 1976, at a press conference initiated by Dr. Andrei 
Sakharov, the group announced the creation of the ``Moscow Group for 
Assistance in Implementation of Helsinki Agreements,'' soon to be known 
simply as the Moscow Helsinki Group.
  Needless to say, the Soviet authorities were not pleased that a group 
of private citizens would publicize their government's deplorable human 
rights record. The KGB swept down on the Moscow Helsinki Group and made 
its work almost impossible. Members were imprisoned, sent to ``internal 
exile,'' expelled from the country, slandered as foreign agents, and 
harassed.
  Despite considerable hardship and risks, members of the group 
persisted and their work served to inspire others to speak out in 
defense of human rights. Soon similar groups sprang up elsewhere in the 
Soviet Union dedicated to seeking implementation of the Helsinki Final 
Act. By 1982, the three remaining members at liberty in Moscow were 
forced to suspect their public activities.
  Eventually, domestic and international pressure began to bear fruit 
and helped usher in dramatic changes under Soviet leader Mikhail 
Gorbachev. Political prisoners and prisoners of conscience began to be 
freed and longstanding human rights cases were resolved.
  In 1989, the Moscow Helsinki Group was reestablished by former 
political prisoners and human rights activists. In 1996, President 
Boris Yeltsin signed a decree formally recognizing the contribution of 
the Moscow Helsinki Group in the campaign to promote respect for human 
rights in Russia.
  Mr. President, ten years after the fall of the Soviet Union, the 
Moscow Helsinki Group continues to promote human rights and fundamental 
freedoms in the Russian Federation. Working with a network of human 
rights centers throughout the country, the Moscow Group provides a wide 
range of assistance to Russian citizens and residents seeking 
information about human rights.
  As Chairman of the Commission on Security and Cooperation, I 
congratulate the Moscow Helsinki Group on its 25th anniversary and wish 
its members the best in their continued endeavors.
  Thank you, Mr. President. I yield the floor.

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