[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 17]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 22096-22097]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




RECOGNIZING OREST DEYCHAKIWSKY'S 25 YEARS OF SERVICE ON THE COMMISSION 
                 ON SECURITY AND COOPERATION IN EUROPE

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, November 15, 2006

  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, today I am pleased to pay 
tribute to Orest Deychakiwsky for his 25 years of faithful service to 
the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, the Helsinki 
Commission. Orest began his work as a member of the professional staff 
on November 15, 1981, just six years after the signing of the Helsinki 
Final Act, a period marked by ruthless Soviet repression and widespread 
violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms.
  Driven by a deep commitment to aid the victims of Communist 
oppression, Orest devoted himself to documenting the human rights 
cases, particularly those involving divided families, an especially 
poignant task given his own family's history under Soviet domination 
and repression. He was responsible for compiling and maintaining the 
lengthy lists of individuals

[[Page 22097]]

seeking to emigrate from the Soviet Union and Romania. Each spring 
would bring an opportunity to secure the exit of some of the thousands 
effectively held hostage in Romania by the Ceausescu regime. Orest was 
faithful in making representations to the Romanian Embassy on behalf of 
all those seeking to exercise their right to leave their country. When 
Moscow began to accept emigration lists from the Commission in the mid-
80s, Orest's diligent efforts on behalf of refuseniks began to pay off 
for families, including some with American spouses, who were finally 
allowed to leave the Soviet Union after a decade or more of waiting.
  With a passion for Ukraine, his familial homeland, Orest helped 
document modern Soviet repression in that country including 
imprisonment of human rights activists, suppression of Ukrainian 
culture and language as well as harsh actions against the Ukrainian 
Catholic Church. He was at the forefront of efforts in support of the 
restoration of Ukrainian independence and the consolidation of 
democracy in that country following the demise of the Soviet empire. 
Despite setbacks, Orest was optimistic that the people of Ukraine would 
insist on a democratic future for their country. On a cold November 
night in 2004, he witnessed firsthand their determination as he stood 
in Kiev's Independence Square where tens of thousands of Ukrainians 
gathered to protest fraudulent elections.
  Fifteen years earlier he had stood in the main square in Sofia, 
Bulgaria as peaceful demonstrators stood up to tyranny, ushering in the 
demise of Eastern Europe's longest standing dictatorship. In recent 
years, he has been active in confronting the repressive regime of 
Aleksandr Lukashenka in Belarus, Europe's last dictatorship.
  Mr. Speaker, in this year when we observe the thirtieth anniversary 
of the Helsinki Commission, as a long serving Commissioner and Co-
Chairman, I am pleased to recognize and commend Orest Deychakiwsky for 
his faithful service and tireless defense of human rights and dignity.

                          ____________________