On June 14th, representatives from 15 embassies, 3 delegations, and 40 ethnic and human rights organizations gathered together with leaders of the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation for the 17th Annual Roll Call of Nations Wreath Laying Ceremony & Dissident Human Rights Award Presentation at the Victims of Communism Memorial on Capitol Hill.
This year, VOC was proud to present the Dissident Human Rights Award to Dr. Katrina Lantos Swett, President of the Lantos Foundation for Human Rights and Justice, established in 2008 to continue the legacy of her father, the late Congressman Tom Lantos, who served as Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and was the only Holocaust survivor ever elected to the US Congress.
During her acceptance speech, Dr. Lantos Swett reflected: “…from the genocide of the Uyghurs to the brutal suppression of Tibet, the persecution of Falun Gong and the Christian House Church movement, the open and credible and really looming threats against Taiwan which threaten to bring the whole word to the brink of war, all of these examples remind us of a very important lesson that I hope we do not forget: namely that the nature and the danger of communism remains unchanged and the need for vigilance and for moral courage remains urgent.”
Under the leadership of Dr. Lantos Swett, the Lantos Foundation has become a distinguished and respected voice on key human rights concerns ranging from advancing rule of law and freedom of religion and belief globally, to fighting for Internet freedom in closed societies, to combating the persistent and growing threat of antisemitism and Holocaust denial. The Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation was pleased to bestow upon Dr. Lantos Swett the prestigious Dissident Human Rights Award in recognition of her exceptional courage and advocacy.
This year, 15 embassies, 3 delegations, and 40 ethnic and human rights organizations participated in the Roll Call of Nations Wreath Laying Ceremony:
EMBASSY AND PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS
Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria
Embassy of Canada
Embassy of the Republic of Croatia
Embassy of the Republic of Estonia
Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany
Embassy of the Republic of Hungary
Embassy of the Republic of Korea
Embassy of the Republic of Latvia
Embassy of the Republic of Lithuania
Embassy of the Republic of Moldova
Embassy of the Republic of Poland
Embassy of Romania
Embassy of the Slovak Republic
Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia
Embassy of Ukraine
Delegation of the European Union to the United States
Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States
The Office of Tibet
Albanian American Council
America for Bulgaria Foundation
American Hungarian Federation
American Latvian Association & World Federation of Free Latvians
Belarusian American Association
Campaign for Uyghurs
Center for a Free Cuba
Center for Liberty and Reunification
ChinaAid Association
Citizens Coalition for the Human Rights of North Korean Refugees
Citizen Power Initiatives for China
Committee for Human Rights in North Korea
Cuba Decide, Oswaldo Payá, and all Cuban Victims of Communism
Fighters for Free North Korea
Florida International University
Formosan Association for Public Affairs
Free Korea Association (FKA)
Friends of the Imperial City of Hue
Greek Victims of Communism
Hungarian American Coalition
International Campaign for Tibet
Korea-U.S. Alliance Foundation USA
Kuen Saem (Send Rice & Info Directly to the NK People Project)
Lao Coalition for Peace and Democracy
North Korea Freedom Coalition & Free North Korea Radio
North Korean Human Rights Alliance in USA
One Korea Network
Sofia Platform
Thang Long Vietnamese Language School, Viet Toon, and Viet American
The Albanian Community, Catholic Diocese of Arlington, Virginia in memory of the 38 Blessed Albanian Martyrs, who died during communism because of their faith
The Lantos Foundation for Human Rights and Justice
The Natasha Foundation
The Women’s Organization “Hope & Peace”
U.S.-Ukraine Foundation
Union of Cuban Former Political Prisoners
United Help Ukraine
United Macedonian Diaspora
Uyghur Human Rights Project
Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation
Women’s Rights Without Frontiers
World Uyghur Congress
Watch the full recording of the ceremony below:
