Press Release
Rep. Bera Chairs House Foreign Affairs Hearing on Democracy and Human Rights in Asia
Washington, DC,
September 22, 2020
Congressman Ami Bera, M.D. (D-CA), Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific, and Nonproliferation today chaired a subcommittee hearing on democracy and human rights in Asia. "Human rights and democratic governance are core to American foreign policy in Asia, leading to more stability and prosperity for people and nations," said Chairman Bera. "But in 2020, these values have come under increasing threat in the region: from the implementation of the Chinese national security law on Hong Kong, to the continuing humanitarian crisis of the Rohingya in Burma and Bangladesh. Today's hearing examined the conditions on the ground and explored what more the United States government can do to ensure these fundamental rights and values are supported and strengthened. As Chairman of the Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific, and Nonproliferation, I am committed to continuing the Subcommittee's long history of elevating the issues of human rights and democracy in Asia." Chairman Bera chaired a Subcommittee hearing on the Rohingya crisis in August 2020 and co-hosted an August 2020 briefing with the Oversight Subcommittee on National Security examining the growing threats to minority populations in Xinjiang, China. In 2019, Bera visited Malaysia and met with Members of Parliament and non-governmental organizations to discuss strengthening democratic systems in advance of their presidential elections. |