STATEMENT BY U.S. CONGRESSMAN BOB SCHAFFER
TO
MEETING-REQUIEM AND CANDLELIGHT VIGIL AT SHEVCHENKO MONUMENT
WASHINGTON, DC

September 15, 2002

On behalf of the Congressional Ukrainian Caucus, I extend my greetings to those assembled today in Washington, D.C. on this anniversary of the brutal and tragic murder of Ukrainian journalist, husband and father, Heorhiy Gongadze. Your presence at this important observance, and your individual participation sends a clear messaged about our common commitment to the unalienable right to life, our devotion to human dignity, our love for the freedom of speech and our hope that these qualities will one day be secured in Ukraine.

As a child of a Ukrainian immigrant, I celebrated Ukraine's independence in 1991 and its separation from the tyranny of Soviet communism. My heart swelled with pride as Ukrainians broke the shackles of communism and announced their desire to live free. This Ukrainian passion for liberty and justice is, in fact, why Ukrainians and our Ukrainian parents and grandparents came to America. August 24, 1991 was a great day, but today's gathering reminds us that Ukrainians, eleven years later, are still not completely free. The murder of Heorgiy Gongadze proves this.

I commend the organizers of this event and all participants for their civic and political consciousness. This is an important reflection of the gradual awakening of civil society in Ukraine. As the latest Ukrainian parliamentary elections vividly demonstrated, a democratic groundswell has started in Ukraine and the Ukrainian people will no longer yield to oppression of their liberty and human rights.

My colleagues in the United States Congress share our concern about freedom of speech and freedom of the press in Ukraine. If journalists are subjected to censorship in any form, and political parties are denied equal access to mass media, civil society cannot exist.

My heart aches for the spouses, children, parents and friends of Heorhiy Gongadze and other journalists who have lost their lives in the exercise of political speech. I call upon Ukraine's leaders to solve these cases of murder and render swift justice to the guilty. I urge Ukrainian investigators to fully utilize the talents and expertise of our Federal Bureau of Investigation, just as President Kuchma personally promised he would do.

There is no doubt the Ukrainian people are capable of developing a vibrant democratic society. Your peaceful demonstration and steadfast solidarity is proof of this, and I commend your compassion. Your sincerity inspires my colleagues and me in the Congress to pledge our continued and tireless support for a mature and durable democracy in Ukraine.

May God bless you all and may He bless Ukraine and the United States of America.

Bob Schaffer,
Member of Congress
Co-Chairman
Congressional Ukrainian Caucus

Schaffer Condemns Murder of Ukrainian Journalists
Congressman tells rallying Ukrainians to demand free speech

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Commemorating the two-year anniversary of the murder of a Ukrainian journalist, U.S. Congressman Bob Schaffer (R-CO), Co-Chairman of the Congressional Ukrainian Caucus, today called on Ukraine's leaders to solve multiple cases of murdered journalists and to "render swift justice to the guilty."

Schaffer encouraged attendees of a commemorative rally to fight for free speech in Ukraine. "Your presence at this important observance... sends a clear message about our common commitment to the unalienable right to life, our devotion to human dignity, our love for the freedom of speech and our hope that these qualities will one day be secured in Ukraine," Schaffer said in his statement to Requiem-2002, a Washington, DC rally commemorating two years since the disappearance and murder of Ukrainian journalist Heorhiy Gongadze.

"My heart aches for the spouses, children, parents and friends of Heorhiy Gongadze and other journalists who have lost their lives in the exercise of political speech. I call upon Ukraine's leaders to solve these cases of murder and render swift justice to the guilty. I urge Ukrainian investigators to fully utilize the talents and expertise of our Federal Bureau of Investigation, just as President Kuchma personally promised he would do," according to the Congressman.

"There is no doubt the Ukrainian people are capable of developing a vibrant democratic society," Schaffer said. "Your sincerity inspires my colleagues and me in the Congress to pledge our continued and tireless support for a mature and durable democracy in Ukraine."

# # #

Congressman Schaffer was first elected to Congress in November of 1996. He is a member of the Committees on Agriculture, Resources, and Education and Workforce. He is Vice Chairman of the Education Subcommittee on Education Reform, Co-Chairman of the Ukrainian Caucus, President of the Republican Junior Class, and the Speaker’s appointee to the House Republican Policy Committee. His official Internet website address is www.house.gov/schaffer.