U.S. Rep. Jim Mcgovern Issues Statement on Refusal of Bahraini Government to Grant Him Access to Bahrain

| Posted in Press Releases

Rep. McGovern recently made several requests to Bahrain’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs for a guarantee of access to Bahrain for himself, one of his staff, and Brian Dooley, Director of the Human Rights Defenders program at Human Rights First. Rep. McGovern planned a fact-finding mission and sought to engage in discussions of the current situation with all involved parties – Bahraini government, opposition, and civil society organizations. Bahrain’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs failed to provide a guarantee that Rep. McGovern would be able to travel to Bahrain.

U.S. Representative Jim Mcgovern Joins Tibetan Community to Announce Introduction of Hr 4851: Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act

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U.S. Representative Jim McGovern joined members of the region’s Tibetan community to announce the introduction of HR 4851: The Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act, in the U.S. House of Representatives.  This bipartisan bill promotes access to Tibetan areas of China for U.S. officials, journalists, and average citizens. Currently, travel restrictions imposed by the Chinese…

Statement of U.S. Rep. Jim Mcgovern on Humanitarian Crisis at the Border

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I am deeply concerned about the safety and well-being of unaccompanied children and families from Central America who have arrived at our borders.  I believe our existing laws, and our obligations under international humanitarian law, allow us to respond humanely and efficiently to these families and children.  They allow us to provide safe haven to those who qualify for such…

U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern End Hunger Now Speech: We Need a Living Wage

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M. Speaker, Over and over again, House Republicans complain about federal spending, especially when it comes to our nation’s premier anti-hunger safety net program known as SNAP. They say the program is too big – that it’s bloated and it’s full of fraud, waste and abuse. These claims are patently false and have been dispelled over and over again. But…

U.S. Rep Jim McGovern Remarks On H. Res. 418, to End the Persecution of the Rohingya in Burma and Protect Ethnic and Religious Minorities

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Over 800,000 people of Rohingya ethnicity live in Burma, mostly in the state. Even though many Rohingyas have lived in the Rakhine for generations, the Burma Citizenship Law of 1982 has excluded them from approved ethnic groups, thereby rendering them stateless and vulnerable to exploitation, violence and abuse. I am very proud to rise in support of this resolution urging the Government of Burma to end the persecution of the Rohingya people and respect internationally recognized human rights for all ethnic and religious minority groups within Burma.

Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission Co-Chairmen Express Outrage Over Boko Haram Kidnappings in Nigeria

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Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission co-chairmen James McGovern (D-MA) and Frank Wolf (R-VA) welcomed the announcement by Secretary Kerry that the United States will be offering military and law enforcement assistance support to the Nigerian government with the aim of finding and securing the release of nearly 300 missing Nigerian schoolgirls.