[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 124 (Wednesday, September 10, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Pages S11341-S11343]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    TRAGIC DEATH OF ARTHUR C. HELTON

  Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. President, all of us who knew and worked with Arthur 
Helton lost a dedicated friend, impassioned human rights activist, and 
inspiring humanitarian in the bombing of the U.N. headquarters in Iraq 
last month. I extend my heartfelt sympathy to Arthur's wife Jacqueline 
and their family during this difficult time. His never-failing spirit, 
his unique dedication, and his selfless and compassionate approach to 
all he did will be profoundly missed.
  Arthur Helton's extraordinary commitments to human rights and to 
those in need constantly shone through in the caring and courageous 
life he led, and will continue to do so in the legacy he leaves behind. 
At the time of his death, he was attending a meeting with the United 
Nations envoy to Iraq on ways to improve the plight of the Iraqi people 
in the wake of the war and condition in which they live.
  Throughout his brilliant career, Arthur was always an advocate in the 
forefront of the ongoing struggle for refugee and human rights, and it 
is no surprise that he was there at the heart of the action in Iraq at 
that tragic moment when the guerrillas and terrorists made their 
murderous move.
  As an attorney with the Lawyers Committee for Human Rights, Arthur 
came to the aid of 2000 Haitian refugees detained in Florida in 1982, 
obtaining their release and finding volunteer attorneys for each of 
them. Most recently, he held the position of Director of Peace and 
Conflict Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York City. 
There was no limit to his vision. The beautiful life he lived was 
always an inspiration to all of us who care about respect for human 
rights in every land on earth.
  Time and again, Arthur Helton gave to all of us in Congress 
invaluable advice on these all-important issues. We were always amazed 
by his dedication and his expertise, and we were grateful for the 
unfailing wisdom of his counsel. His death in Baghdad is a great loss 
for all of us, and for the cause of refugee and human rights he served 
so passionately and well.
  I ask unanimous consent to print in the Record the following 
commentaries on the life of Arthur C. Helton.

[[Page S11342]]

  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

                [From the New York Times, Aug. 21, 2003]

               Arthur Helton, 54, Refugee Advocate, Dies

                            (By Paul Lewis)

       Arthur C. Helton, a New York lawyer and human rights 
     activist who devoted most of his professional life to the 
     help and protection of refugees, died in the bomb attack on 
     the United Nations headquarters in Baghdad on Tuesday, the 
     Council on Foreign Relations announced yesterday. He was 54.
       Mr. Helton, who was the director of peace and conflict 
     studies at the council and senior fellow for refugee studies 
     and preventive action, was visiting Baghdad to assess 
     conditions in Iraq.
       When the bomb exploded, the council said, he was scheduled 
     to meet with the top United Nations official there, Sergio 
     Vieira de Mello, who was also killed in the blast.
       ``Arthur was one of our most respected senior fellows and a 
     noted expert on refugee and humanitarian issues and 
     international law,'' Richard N. Haass, the council's 
     president, said in a statement. ``The world has lost a 
     devoted and talented champion of the rights of the 
     dispossessed.''
       Last year Mr. Helton published ``The Price of Indifference: 
     Refugees and Humanitarian Action in the New Century'' (Oxford 
     University Press), in which he analyzed responses to the 
     refugee crises of the 1990's and made practical proposals for 
     improving the treatment of people displaced by conflicts.
       The United Nations secretary general, Kofi Annan, wrote in 
     commenting on the book: ``Mr. Helton not only asks important 
     questions, but also makes ambitious policy recommendations. 
     His book is a welcome contribution to the debate on 
     humanitarian action and will undoubtedly help us to manage 
     humanitarian challenges better in the future.''
       Mr. Helton began his work with refugees in 1982 when he 
     joined the Lawyers Committee for Human Rights in New York to 
     lead its Refugee Rights Program, devoted to helping win 
     asylum in the United States for those fleeing political and 
     religious persecution in their home countries.
       He created a much-replicated program under which lawyers 
     from some of the most prestigious firms in the United States 
     provided free help to poor refugees in their quest for 
     asylum.
       During his first year at the Lawyers Committee, Mr. Helton 
     secured the release of some 2,000 fugitives from Haiti held 
     in Florida after convincing a federal judge that he would 
     find volunteer lawyers to represent them at formal asylum 
     hearings.
       ``He was one of the first people, if not the first, working 
     at a human rights organization with an exclusive focus on 
     refugee protection of displaced people,'' said Michael 
     Posner, executive director of the Lawyers Committee. ``He was 
     a major force in building concern for refugees, first in the 
     United States and then he took that concern international.''
       Mr. Helton toured disaster areas to study and help refugees 
     and other displaced people. He was a leading adviser to the 
     United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees on refugee 
     issues.
       He was an adjunct professor at Columbia University Law 
     School where he taught immigration law. He also taught at New 
     York University Law School and at the Central European 
     University in Budapest.
       Arthur Cleveland Helton was born in St. Louis on Jan. 24, 
     1949. He graduated from Columbia College in 1971 and from New 
     York University Law School in 1976. He is survived by his 
     wife, the former Jacqueline Dean Gilbert of New York City. 
     They were married in 1982.
                                  ____


      [From the Council on Foreign Relations, 2003 Annual Report]

                Dedication, Arthur C. Helton, 1949-2003

       All of us at the Council on Foreign Relations were deeply 
     saddened by the tragic loss of our colleagues and friend, 
     Arthur C. Helton, in the August 19, 2003, bombing of the 
     United Nations headquarters in Baghdad. Arthur was one of our 
     most distinguished senior fellows and noted expert on refugee 
     and humanitarian issues and international law. A respected 
     lawyer and human rights activist, he devoted his life to 
     improving the lives of others. At the time of his death, he 
     was in Iraq to consult with the United Nations to help find 
     ways to releive human suffering there.
       Arthur was Director of Peace and Conflict Studies and 
     Senior Fellow for Refugee Studies and Preventive Action at 
     the Council. He was also an adjunct professor at Columbia 
     University Law School. Prior to joining the Council in 1999, 
     he founded and directed the Forced Migration Projects at the 
     Open Society Institute and directed the Refugee Project at 
     the Lawyers Committee for Human Rights.
       ``From representing Haitian boat people incarcerated at the 
     Brooklyn Navy Yard in 1981 in New York, to interviewing 
     displaced Serbs from Kosovo residing in Belgrade in 2001, 
     refugees have taken me on a remarkable professional 
     journey,'' Arthur wrote in the preface of his 2002 book, The 
     Price of Indifference: Refugess and Humanitarian Ashton in 
     the New Century. Arthur's colleagues at the Council and 
     elsewhere are honored to have witnessed and participated in 
     his remarkable journey. With his death, the world has lost a 
     devoted and talented champion of the rights of the 
     dispossessed. We will miss him.
                                  ____


      [From the Lawyers Committee for Human Rights, Aug. 20, 2003]

   Lawyers Committee Mourns Death of Arthur C. Helton in U.N. Bombing

       New York.--The Lawyers Committee for Human Rights mourns 
     the death of refugee expert Arthur C. Helton, who died in the 
     bombing at the United Nations in Baghdad on Tuesday.
       Helton, a leading authority on refugee and humanitarian 
     issues, worked at the Lawyers Committee for 12 years, from 
     1982 to 1994, where he led the Refugee Rights Program. 
     Helton's most recent position was with the Council on Foreign 
     Relations, as the Director, Peace and Conflict Studies and a 
     Senior Fellow, Refugee Studies and Preventive Action.
       ``People now talk about how refugee rights are human 
     rights,'' said Michael Posner, Executive Director of the 
     Lawyers Committee for Human Rights. ``Arthur was in the 
     forefront of promoting that idea. He was one of the first 
     people, if not the first, working at a human rights 
     organization with an exclusive focus on refuge protection and 
     the protection of displaced people. He was a major force in 
     building concern for refugees first in the U.S. and then he 
     took that concern international.''
       When the Lawyers Committee for Human Rights was founded in 
     1978, one of its programs was devoted to helping win asylum 
     in the United States for those fleeing political and 
     religious persecution in their home countries. Helton took 
     that idea and created an inovative--and now much replicated--
     pro bono representation program for asylum seekers. His idea 
     was to connect lawyers at the most prestigious firms in the 
     United States with refugees seeking asylum from persecution, 
     many of whom were indigent. The program Helton started now 
     represents more than 1,000 asylum seeks each year, winning 
     more than 90 percent of its cases.
       Helton's first breakthrough in refugee advocacy in the U.S. 
     was in 1982 when close to 2,000 Haitian refugees were being 
     held in detention in Florida.
       ``Arthur persuaded me to promise a federal judge that if 
     these Haitians were released, we would find volunteer lawyers 
     across the country for all 2,000 Haitians,'' Posner said. 
     ``And he did it. He devised a strategy to identify local 
     lawyers in 20 states. Working with the American Bar 
     Association, he recruited lawyers, trained them and connected 
     them with the Haitian refugees. As we now know, 20 years 
     later, he also helped foster a cadre of lawyers who 
     understand refugee issues, care about refugee rights, and 
     fight for refugee protection.
       At the same time, in the early 80s, Helton was at the 
     center of virtually every legislative and regulatory battle 
     involving refugees.
       ``He shaped U.S. national policy regarding refugees,'' 
     Posner said. ``Over the two decades of Arthur's work, in both 
     Washington and Geneva, he helped countless refugees in all 
     corners of the world.''
       Helton also focused internationally. He led delegations 
     around the world to study the situation of displaced people 
     in Central America and other refugee issues in Southeast 
     Asia, Africa, Russia, and the Middle East. Because of this 
     work, he was one of the leading outside advisors to the 
     United Nations on refugee issues, and pushed the Office of 
     the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees to adopt strong 
     refugee protection policies.
       ``Arthur was right in the center of figuring out how the UN 
     should deal with refugee issues,'' Posner said. ``When he'd 
     go to Geneva, he met with everyone who mattered. It was in 
     the context of this work that he met Sergio de Mello.''
       At the time of the bombing, Helton was scheduled to meet at 
     the U.N. headquarters in Baghdad with Sergio Vieira de Mello, 
     the U.N's chief envoy to Iraq. De Mello was also killed in 
     the bombing.
       ``Arthur was legendarily hard working and tenacious. He was 
     not afraid to have an audacious idea and he was not afraid to 
     carry it out, which he did successfully'' Posner said. ``I 
     can remember many times when people--everyone it seemed--
     would tell Arthur he couldn't do something, and then with his 
     singular grit and determination, he would make it happen. 
     Refugees around the world have lost a tireless advocate, a 
     great friend, and one of their leading and brightest 
     lights.''
       The Lawyers Committee extends its sympathy to Jackie, 
     Helton's wife, and to his family.
                                  ____


                      [From abanet.org, Aug. 2003]

  Statement of Dennis W. Archer, President, American Bar Association, 
Regarding Death of ABA Member Arthur Helton in Iraq Bombing (August 19, 
                                 2003)

       A strong and impassioned voice for refugees and immigrants 
     has been silenced. The legal profession feels a profound loss 
     over the death of Arthur C. Helton: lawyer, scholar and 
     humanitarian. Helton was killed in Iraq in the midst of 
     meeting with United Nations officials on important issues 
     facing the war-torn country. He died as he lived, working 
     indefatigably to help rebuild the lives of those who had lost 
     their histories, homes

[[Page S11343]]

     and borders as a result of armed conflict. His advocacy on 
     behalf of the most vulnerable in our society epitomized the 
     ideals of liberty and justice that the American Bar 
     Association so deeply values. His legacy of selflessness, 
     courage and devotion to the refugee cause serve as an 
     inspiration to all who value human rights. Our thoughts and 
     prayers are with his family.
                                  ____


              [From www.opendemocracy.net, Aug. 21, 2003]

              Arthur Helton: A Tribute From openDemocracy

                 (By Caspar Henderson and David Hayes)

       Arthur C. Helton, Director of Peace and Conflict Studies at 
     the Council on Foreign Relations and a regular columnist for 
     openDemocracy, was killed in the bombing of the United 
     Nations headquarters in Baghdad on 19 August. His colleague 
     and co-columnist, Gil Loescher, was critically injured. 
     Caspar Henderson and David Hayes pay tribute on behalf of 
     openDemocracy.
       The bomb attack on the headquarters of the United Nations 
     operation in Baghdad on 19 August which killed the UN special 
     representative in Iraq, Sergio Vieira de Mello, injured more 
     than 100 and killed at least 18 other people. Among the dead 
     was Arthur Helton, the co-columnist of openDemocracy's 
     humanitarian monitor.
       The other half of this openDemocracy partnership, Gil 
     Loescher, was critically injured in the blast, and has been 
     transferred to hospital in Germany, where, at the time of 
     writing he is in a critical condition.
       Arthur's death is a dreadful loss to his family, friends 
     and colleagues. Our thoughts and condolences are with them. 
     We are with Gil and his family in spirit too.
       This tragedy impacts heavily on openDemocracy. Arthur was a 
     good friend of this enterprise and one of the people who made 
     it what it is. He and Gil first approached us with a project 
     and a vision that chimed with what we wanted to do: to 
     facilitate serious, constructive global conversation on key 
     issues of our time. We built up a strong working relationship 
     from which we never ceased to learn new things.
       Arthur was a serious, indefatigable scholar with 
     extraordinary range. He was warm and humorous too. I (Caspar 
     Henderson) will not forget his kindness when I visited him in 
     the grand premises of the Council on Foreign Relations in New 
     York earlier this year, and the touch of irony with which he 
     showed me a photographic tribute to his work in the hallway 
     of the Pratt house. In contrast to pictures associated with 
     many of his colleagues, which mainly showed important guys in 
     suits and ties shaking hands or dramatic shots of military 
     situations, Arthur's picture showed a refugee mother and 
     child. ``The token soft power guy around here'' he joked.
       Arthur and Gil's humanitarian monitor combined expert 
     understanding of the many dimensions of humanitarian crises--
     legal, political, logistical, military, historical--with a 
     willingness to think beyond current models. This search for 
     complex and changing truths led them to interview many of the 
     key figures in the field--from government ministers and UN 
     administrators to refugees and asylum-seekers at the sharpest 
     end of policy.
       Because of their true seriousness and refusal to posture, 
     their column reached out to and was read by influential 
     actors and thinkers across a range of bodies and ways of 
     looking at the world, including the military and academic 
     communities, international institutions and activists. Sergio 
     Vieira de Mello was an enthusiastic reader of their work on 
     openDemocracy, recommending it warmly to others (according to 
     reports, Sergio and Arthur were meeting together when the 
     bomb went off).
       Arthur and Gil's columns for openDemocracy on Iraq were 
     only part of their concern with crises of human displacement, 
     food insecurity, health and shelter deprivation--and how 
     these problems are dealt with (usually inadequately, and 
     often without taking to heart the lessons of the past) by 
     state, humanitarian and other organisations. There was huge 
     and important work to be done here, and for openDemocracy's 
     global membership to engage with. We had hardly begun.
       We salute Arthur Helton. We will miss him very much. We 
     commit ourselves to building on his work and helping to make 
     real the better world to which he dedicated his life. There 
     is much to do.
                                  ____


                [From Human Rights Watch, Aug. 20, 2003]

  Human Rights Watch Mourns Death of Refugee Advocate Arthur C. Helton

       Human Rights Watch mourns the loss of Arthur Helton, a 
     leading advocate for refugees and internally displaced 
     persons, who was among the victims of the bombing of the 
     United Nations headquarters in Baghdad.
       Arthur Helton, director of peace and conflict studies at 
     the Council on Foreign Relations in New York, was a valued 
     colleague and longtime friend to Human Rights Watch. He was 
     among the small circle of advisors who first encouraged and 
     supported Human Rights Watch's work on the rights of refugees 
     and displaced persons. He was a member of the advisory 
     committee of Human Rights Watch's Africa Division and 
     provided ready advice on a wide range of refugee issues from 
     Eastern Europe to North Korea. Despite his own busy schedule, 
     he was generous with his time and expertise and his judgments 
     were always measured, thoughtful and insightful.
       But more than this, as head of the Refugee Program at the 
     Lawyers Committee for Human Rights, the Forced Migration 
     Project at the Open Society Institute, and as a law professor 
     at NYU and Columbia, Arthur Helton was an invaluable mentor 
     to many Human Rights Watch staff members. He was a great 
     friend to many of us, who found his acerbic wit a cheering 
     tonic while battling official indifference.
       His death is a loss not only to Human Rights Watch and 
     other international organizations, but to the millions of 
     refugees and displaced persons the world over who benefited, 
     however unknowingly, from his hard-nosed and persuasive 
     advocacy. Last year the increasingly slim and trim Arthur ran 
     and completed the New York Marathon. On explaining his reason 
     for going to Iraq, Arthur had insisted it was ``to avoid 
     running another marathon!''
       Human Rights Watch extends its condolences to Arthur's wife 
     Jacqueline Gilbert; and to his longtime assistant Marie 
     Jeannot.
                                  ____


                  [From www.phrusa.org, Aug. 20, 2003]

   PHR Mourns the Loss of Longtime Refugee Advocate Arthur C. Helton

       Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) mourns the loss of Arthur 
     C. Helton, a great thinker and leader in the defense of 
     refugee rights. Arthur Helton died in Tuesday's bomb attack 
     on the UN office in Baghdad where he was scheduled to meet 
     with the UN's Sergio Vieira de Mello, also killed in the 
     blast.
       ``This is a devastating loss,'' said Susannah Sirkin, 
     Deputy Director of Physicians for Human Rights. ``Human 
     rights and refugee advocates have lost one of the most 
     knowledgeable, experienced, and dedicated experts defending 
     men, women, and children displaced from their homes. The 
     lives of countless people benefited immeasurably by Arthur's 
     work.''
       A lawyer, human rights activist, and policy analyst, Arthur 
     was the long-time director of the Lawyers Committee for Human 
     Rights' Refugee Project. One of the foremost experts in 
     refugee law, he founded the Forced Migration Project at the 
     Open Society Institute in New York City. Most recently he 
     served as the Director of Peace and Conflict Studies and 
     senior fellow for refugee studies and preventative action at 
     the Council of Foreign Relations.
       Helton also contributed to PHR's publication Medical 
     Victims of Torture: A Physicians Guide to Asylum Cases.
       PHR staff expressed their personal appreciation for 
     Arthur's deep commitment to improving the lives of those who 
     have suffered untold misery, and their deepest condolences to 
     his wife, Jacqueline, and his family and friends.
                                  ____


                          [From www.lirs.org]

           LIRS and ISS-USA Mourn Loss of Great Humanitarian

       Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS) and its 
     subsidiary International Social Service, United States of 
     America Branch (ISS-USA) join myriad human rights and 
     immigrant advocates around the world in mourning the loss of 
     Arthur C. Helton. A New York human rights lawyer who served 
     as director of peace and conflict studies and senior fellow 
     for refugee studies and preventive action for the Council on 
     Foreign Relations, Arthur died in the August 19 bombing of 
     the United Nations headquarters in Baghdad, where he had gone 
     to assess humanitarian conditions. He was 54.
       While mourning his loss, we are thankful for his long and 
     generous friendship and service to our agencies, especially 
     his service as chair of the board of directors for ISS-USA 
     from 1994 through 2003.
       Arthur's death is a tragic loss to refugees, asylum seekers 
     and displaced people and to all those dedicated to peace and 
     justice. A distinguished and prolific scholar, he was a 
     citizen of the world with a deep understanding of 
     geopolitical forces and realities. Arthur's visionary spirit 
     was balanced with realism, and he was capable of responding 
     to complex problems by mobilizing systemic change to 
     dramatically alter daily life for millions. As a mentor and 
     inspiration to many, his life was a catalyst for linking 
     people across agencies, ideologies and borders. The memory of 
     his life and work will continue to guide and inspire us.
       Condolences may be sent to Arthur's widow, Ms. Jacqueline 
     D. Gilbert, 245 7th Avenue, Apartment 10B, New York, N.Y. 
     10001

                          ____________________