April 25, 2024, marked the 50th anniversary of the 1974 non-violent Carnation Revolution in Portugal: a joyful anniversary marking the end of the authoritarian “New State” dictatorship that had been in power for over 40 years. Not all Portuguese, however,… Read More
On July 10th, the Center for Free Cuba, with the support of the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation, hosted a vigil in front of the Cuban Embassy as a sign of protest for the political prisoners of the July 11, 2021 protests in Cuba, and many other victims of the Cuban regime.
As war rages in Ukraine, the specter of a new era of captive nations looms across Europe’s frontline. This fear is something I knew all too well growing up under Soviet control in occupied Lithuania. My homeland’s oppression and march for independence is also why I know that we must continue to stand with the people of Ukraine—before it is too late.
July 11th, 2021, will be remembered as a pivotal day in the fight against Communism. On this day, thousands of Cubans took to the streets in an unprecedented demonstration that echoed across nearly every corner of the island. With speakers blaring the song “Patria y Vida” (“Homeland and Life”)—a direct challenge to the Cuban regime’s motto, “Homeland or Death”—many Cubans demonstrated for the first time in their lives.
As NATO leaders convene in my hometown of Washington, D.C. this month amid war in Europe, I find myself reflecting on the Alliance’s profound personal impact. Although Washington is now my home, I was born in Soviet-controlled Ukraine, a Captive Nation under the Iron Curtain.
VOC’s President and CEO, Dr. Eric Patterson, writes about the need for Congress to ensure that American investments uphold ethical standards rather than aiding human rights abuses, such as the forced labor of Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang.
In October 2023, a dozen Latin American countries gathered in Mexico to address the ongoing migration crisis in the Western Hemisphere. They concluded that much of the blame should be placed on Washington’s Cuban and Venezuelan sanctions.
VOC’s Director of Government Relations, Karina Lipsman, joined fellow human rights groups to meet with the office of Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) and discuss advancing the Uyghur Policy Act.
VOC’s President and CEO, Dr. Eric Patterson, is quoted in a bipartisan resolution introduced by VOC Caucus member Rep. Michelle Steel (CA-45), that urges the Biden administration to protect North Korean defectors.
In the 20th century, Venezuela quickly became one of the wealthiest countries in Latin America after discovering vast oil reserves. That all changed when Hugo Chávez seized power. Elected democratically following a failed military coup, Chávez moved to entrap Venezuela in his socialist system of corruption, greed, and clientelism — or, as he called it, the “Bolivarian Revolution.”
