[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 62 (Thursday, May 12, 2005)]
[House]
[Page H3202]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      EXTENDING FREEDOM TO BELARUS

  (Mr. SHIMKUS asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak in support of the 
country of Belarus and their ongoing struggle for fair and free 
elections. The last dictator in Europe, Aleksander Lukashenko, rules 
this country through a combination of intimidation and fear. He is 
suppressing the voices and rights of the Belarusian people as they 
watch their neighbors in Georgia and Ukraine rise up and take back 
their countries and emerge as thriving democracies.
  As President Bush said in his visit to Riga, Latvia, ``All the 
nations that border Russia will benefit from the spread of democratic 
values, and so will Russia itself. Together, we have set a firm and 
confident standard. Repression has no place on this continent.''
  I have had the privilege of meeting with the opposition party 
representatives from Belarus several times. It is inspiring to see 
these men and women from every political ideology come together with a 
unified goal, to let the Belarusian people decide for themselves who 
should lead their country, rather than have it forced upon them by 
Lukashenko's regime.
  As co-chairman of the House Baltic Caucus, it is my hope that the 
United States Congress will stand with our friends in Eastern Europe 
and support all efforts to bring democracy, freedom, and the rule of 
law to this part of the world.

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