[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 190 (Monday, December 12, 2011)]
[House]
[Page H8345]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         SHINING LIGHT ON THE HUMAN RIGHTS SITUATION IN BELARUS

  (Mr. PAULSEN asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. PAULSEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to give voice to a concern 
that I have heard raised from numerous constituents who originally hail 
from Belarus. Since 1994, President Lukashenko has abused his power and 
has actively worked to undermine the freedom of the Belarusian people.
  Recently, the State Department released a report on the human rights 
situation in Belarus. Under this authoritarian regime, Belarusians have 
been subject to manipulated elections and oppression on the basis of 
political affiliation, ethnicity, and religious beliefs. Following the 
most recent election, security forces arrested political activists, 
presidential candidates, and journalists.
  Mr. Speaker, it is unacceptable that this kind of oppression exists 
today in Europe, and I hope that more Americans will be made aware of 
the tyranny in Belarus. I thank the Belarusian-American Youth 
Association for bringing this issue to my attention. And I stand with 
my constituents in support of freedom for the Belarusian people in 
opposition to this oppressive regime.

                          ____________________