[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 118 (Wednesday, September 18, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1598]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     CALLING ON UKRAINIAN LEADERS TO ENSURE AND DEFEND FREEDOM OF 
EXPRESSION, AND TO RESOLVE AND BRING TO JUSTICE THOSE, RESPONSIBLE FOR 
    THE MURDER OF HEORHIY GONGADZE ON THE SECOND ANNIVERSARY OF HIS 
                  DISAPPEARANCE AND SUBSEQUENT MURDER

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. BOB SCHAFFER

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 18, 2002

  Mr. SCHAFFER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to read my address to the 
attendees of a meeting-requiem, commemorating the memory of murdered 
Journalist Heorhiy Gongadze and calling for freedom of speech in 
Ukraine. This event took place on Sunday, September 15, 2002, in 
Washington, DC.
  On behalf of the Congressional Ukrainian Caucus, I extend my 
greetings to those assembled today in Washington, DC on this 
anniversary of the brutal and tragic murder of Ukrainian journalist, 
husband and father, Heorhiy Gongadze. Your presence at this important 
observance, and your individual participation sends a clear message 
about our common commitment to the unalienable right to life, our 
devotion to human dignity, our love for the freedom of speech and our 
hope that these qualities will one day be secured in Ukraine.
  As a child of a Ukrainian immigrant, I celebrated Ukraine's 
independence in 1991 and its separation from the tyranny of Soviet 
communism. My heart swelled with pride as Ukrainians broke the shackles 
of communism and announced their desire to live free. This Ukrainian 
passion for liberty and justice is, in fact, why Ukrainians and our 
Ukrainian parents and grandparents came to America. August 24, 1991, 
was a great day, but today's gathering reminds us that Ukrainians, 
eleven years later, are still not completely free. The murder of 
Heorhiy Gongadze proves this.
  I commend the organizers of this event and all participants for their 
civic and political consciousness. This is an important reflection of 
the gradual awakening of civil society in Ukraine. As the latest 
Ukrainian parliamentary elections vividly demonstrated, a democratic 
groundswell has started in Ukraine, and the Ukrainian people will no 
longer yield to oppression of their liberty and human rights.
  My colleagues in the U.S. Congress share our concern about freedom of 
speech and freedom of the press in Ukraine. If journalists are 
subjected to censorship in any form, and political parties are denied 
equal access to mass media, civil society cannot exist.
  My heart aches for the spouse, children, parents and friends of 
Heorhiy Gongadze and other journalists who have lost their lives in the 
exercise of political speech. I call upon Ukraine's leaders to solve 
these cases of murder and render swift justice to the guilty. I urge 
Ukrainian investigators to fully utilize the talents and expertise of 
our Federal Bureau of Investigation, just as President Kuchma 
personally promised he would do in February 2001.
  There is no doubt the Ukrainian people are capable of developing a 
vibrant democratic society. Your peaceful demonstration and steadfast 
solidarity is proof of this, and I commend your compassion. Your 
sincerity inspires my colleagues and me in the Congress to pledge our 
continued and tireless support for a mature and durable democracy in 
Ukraine.
  May God bless you all and may He bless Ukraine and the United States 
of America.

                          ____________________