McGovern Condemns Trump Move to Sell Weapons to Bahrain Without Human Rights Conditions

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“America has a responsibility to stand up for human rights in all countries and our allies must be no exception. Media reports indicate that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will soon lift all human rights conditions on the sale of F-16 fighter jets and other arms to Bahrain are deeply troubling. Such a move would be an extremely short-sighted and unprincipled choice that increases the risk of instability in Bahrain and puts America’s long-term security at risk."

Congressman McGovern Meets with Sudanese Leaders to Discuss Humanitarian Crisis and U.S. Sanctions

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This week U.S. Congressman Jim McGovern (D-MA), a senior House Democrat and leading voice in Congress on human rights, met with Ibrahim Ahmed Omer, Speaker of the Sudanese Parliament. In the meeting, Congressman McGovern reiterated his strong disagreement with the easing of U.S. sanctions against the Government of Sudan, an action taken at the end of the Obama Administration.…

McGovern Guest for Trump Speech is Top Ranked Transplant Surgeon Worried About Muslim Ban’s Impact on His Family

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Today Congressman Jim McGovern (D-MA) announced that his guest for tonight’s address by President Trump to a joint session of Congress will be Dr. Babak Movahedi, a nationally-ranked transplant surgeon at UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester, Massachusetts, who was born in Iran and is worried about how Trump’s Muslim Ban will impact his family. Dr. Movahedi and his family left…

McGovern Welcomes Student After Trump Muslim Ban Denied Return to Boston

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Today U.S. Congressman Jim McGovern (D-MA), a senior House Democrat, released the following statement on the successful return of Benham Partopour, a chemical engineering student going for his PhD at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) in Central Massachusetts. Click here for photos from today’s arrival in Boston. Partopour is an Iranian national who was in Iran when President…

McGovern: President Trump’s Muslim Ban is Shameful and Un-American

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Today Congressman Jim McGovern (D-MA), a senior House Democrat and leading voice in Congress on human rights, released the following statement on the executive order signed by President Trump on Friday. “America was founded on the fundamental belief in the freedom of religion. The fact that President Trump chose Holocaust Remembrance Day to sign his Muslim ban shutting the door to…

U.S. Rep. McGovern Joins Human Rights Delegation in El Salvador

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This week U.S. Congressman Jim McGovern (D-MA) joined an international human rights delegation in El Salvador for the forum entitled “Forced Disappearance During the Salvadoran Armed Conflict: The Search, Truth and Reconciliation” at the University of Central America José Simeon Cañas. McGovern, along with Salvadoran and international human rights experts, will hear personal testimonies –…

McGovern Statement on New Obama Sanctions Policy for Sudan

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Today U.S. Congressman Jim McGovern (D-MA), a senior House Democrat and leading voice on Sudan released the following statement on the announced changes by the Obama Administration regarding U.S. sanctions on Sudan. “I am angry and deeply disappointed that the last act by the Obama Administration on Sudan policy is to ease sanctions against a genocidal regime when there has been…

U.S. Congressman McGovern on Syria Humanitarian Crisis

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U.S. Congressman Jim McGovern (D-MA), a senior House Democrat and leading voice in Congress on human rights, released the following statement on the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Syria.   "Every day we hear about new horrors as the massacre in Syria continues. At this moment, somewhere between 50,000 and 100,000 people remain in Aleppo waiting to be evacuated to safety.…

McGovern, House Lawmakers Urge Secretary Kerry to Condemn Violence in Colombia, Work to Protect Human Rights Defenders

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Today Congressman Jim McGovern (D-MA), a senior House Democrat and leading voice on human rights, led a group of 37 House lawmakers in a letter to Secretary of State John Kerry expressing deep concern about the escalation of killings and assaults in Colombia on human rights defenders, LGBT and women activists, labor leaders and other social leaders. In the letter, the lawmakers call on…

Bipartisan McGovern Human Rights Bill Passes Congress

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Today, U.S. Congressman Jim McGovern (D-MA) applauded Congressional passage of the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act, a bill he co-authored to crack down on corruption and human rights abuses around the world. The bill was passed as part of the 2017 National Defense Authorization Act by a vote of 375-34. Congressman McGovern is one of four co-sponsors of the bipartisan…