Captive Nations Committee continues fight for freedom of all nations (08/29/99)

Captive Nations Committee continues fight for freedom of all nations

by Horst A. Uhlich
Captive Nations Committee

NEW YORK - Despite the summer heat, the Captive Nations Week commemoration was held July 11-18, remembering the over 140 million people who died at the hands of the Communist Party International in an orgy of mass murder, plunder, rape, starvation, expulsion, and genocide, remembering the nations still under the Communist yoke. Captive Nations Week and again proved to be a highly effective focus on the need for freedom worldwide.

The liturgy in St. Patrick's Cathedral, the parade up Fifth Ave., the opening rally in Central Park, the reading of the [Captive Nations Committee] resolution and many addresses opened this important week. A Freedom Rally at the United Nations on July 15 and closing ceremonies on July 18 at the Estonian Lutheran Congregation in Manhattan were well organized. The proclamations of President Bill Clinton, and those of many governors, together with messages of encouragement from many high officials, were read.

The focus of Captive Nations Week is the observance of U.S. Public Law 86-90, the purpose of which is to draw public attention to the tyranny of communism. The motto of the 41st Captive Nations Week commemoration was "Remember the over 140 million people murdered by the Communist International. Never forget!"

Of the more than 30 original nations and regions represented in the Captive Nations Committee, some remain under totalitarian communist control among them: Cambodia, Mainland China, Cuba, Laos, Mongolia, North Korea, Tibet, and Vietnam.

In other countries that belonged to the Captive Nations, many leftover communists still need to be cleared out before complete freedom can be enjoyed: Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Belarus, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Georgia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, North Caucasus, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia and Ukraine.

In his proclamation commemorating Captive Nations Week 1999, President Clinton wrote: "This month Americans mark 223 years of freedom from tyranny. We celebrate the vision of our founders who, in signing the Declaration of Independence, proclaimed the importance of liberty, the value of human dignity, and the need for a new form of government dedicated to the will of the people. As heirs to that legacy and the fortunate citizens of a democratic Nation, we continue to cherish the values of freedom and equality. Many people across the globe, however, are still denied the rights we exercise daily and too often take for granted. During Captive Nations Week, we reaffirm our solidarity with those around the world who suffer under the shadow of dictators and tyrants."

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