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Helsinki Commission Chair Welcomes Release of Leyla Yunus as "First Step"
WASHINGTON–Following today's announcement that the Azerbaijani government has released human rights defender Leyla Yunus from custody due to her ill health, Representative Chris Smith (NJ-04), Chairman of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, issued the following statement: "The long-overdue release of Leyla Yunus from prison to house arrest is a welcome first step—but only a first step. The Government of Azerbaijan must go further and now make immediate arrangements for her medical treatment. Leyla and her husband Arif are gravely ill and it is the responsibility of the government, which persecuted and imprisoned them unjustly, to see that they have top-quality care. Furthermore, the spurious charges against Leyla and Arif must be dropped and the Yunuses permitted to resume their peaceful efforts on behalf of human rights in Azerbaijan."
Helsinki Commission Briefing to Probe Human Rights Violations in Occupied Crimea
WASHINGTON—The Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, also known as the Helsinki Commission, today announced the following briefing: "Human Rights Violations in Russian-Occupied Crimea" Friday, December 11 2:00 PM Rayburn House Office Building Room B-318 Russia's illegal annexation of Ukraine's sovereign territory of Crimea in March 2014 – which flagrantly violated numerous international agreements, including core OSCE principles enshrined in the Helsinki Final Act – resulted in a deplorable human rights situation that continues today. Changes in government and the legal framework in Crimea following Russia's annexation have had a toxic impact on human rights and fundamental freedoms. Violations of civil, political, social, economic, and cultural rights are widespread, especially against those who openly oppose the Russian occupation, including Crimean Tatars and other ethnic, political, and religious groups. The Helsinki Commission briefing will present key findings of the recent report, "Human Rights on Occupied Territory: Case of Crimea," prepared by an international team of lawyers led by Ivanna Bilych. Panelists from Ukraine will provide valuable insights about the situation on the ground. The following panelists are scheduled to participate: Ivanna Bilych, Co-founder and President of VOLYA Institute, board member of the Ukrainian American Bar Association Andriy Klymenko, Chief Editor of Black Sea News; prominent economist, originally from Crimea Bohdan Yaremenko, Chairman of the board of the Ukrainian non-governmental organization, Maidan of Foreign Affairs, former Ukrainian diplomat Yuriy Yatsenko, Activist of the Maidan Revolution of Dignity who was illegally imprisoned in Russia on political grounds and recently released after a year of imprisonment
Best Practices for Rescuing Trafficking Victims
Recent research indicates that more than 80 percent of human trafficking victims in the United States have contact with the healthcare system in the course of being trafficked. Some victims are even brought to the clinic by their trafficker. However, opportunities to identify trafficking victims during their interactions with doctors, nurses, and other healthcare workers are often missed. The briefing was the latest installment in the ongoing TVPA oversight series with a focus on best practice development for identifying--and rescuing--foreign trafficking victims in the U.S. Panelists included two foreign-born trafficking victims who shared insights on what helped them escape, and how doctors in the United States could have helped free them sooner. Expert analysis was also provided by panelists from the healthcare field and the NGO community.
Helsinki Commission Briefing to Examine Best Practices for Rescuing Trafficking Victims
WASHINGTON—The Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, also known as the Helsinki Commission, today announced the following briefing: "Best Practices for Rescuing Trafficking Victims" December 1, 2015 2:00PM Rayburn House Office Building Room 2255 The Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 and its reauthorizations have numerous provisions to ensure that foreign victims trafficked into the United States receive at least the same care as refugees, and that they can apply for a T or a U visa if returning to their home country is too dangerous. However, the numbers of foreign victims found in the United States each year is below the estimated thousands. In 2014 approximately 750 foreign victims were identified, up from 520 in 2013, but still far below suspected numbers. We can do better at identifying foreign victims. Recent research indicates that more than 80% of trafficking victims in the United States have contact with the healthcare system in the course of being trafficked. Some are even brought to the clinic by their trafficker. This hearing is the latest installment in the ongoing TVPA oversight series with a focus on best practice development for identifying--and rescuing--foreign trafficking victims in the U.S. Two foreign-born victims will be sharing insights on what helped them escape, and how doctors could have helped free them sooner. The following panelists are scheduled to participate: Panel 1: Survivors "Roxana," Foreign-born Female Survivor of Sex Trafficking in the United States "Celena," Foreign-born Female Survivor of Sex Trafficking in the United States Panel 2: Experts Yaroslaba Garcia, ACT Clinical Director; President, Southwest Florida Regional Human Trafficking Coalition Dr. Kimberly Chang, Asian Health Services Community Health Clinic Dr. Jordan Greenbaum, Stephanie Blank Center for Safe and Healthy Children, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta
Marking 20 Years Since the Signing of the Dayton Peace Accords
Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, November 21 will mark the 20th anniversary of the Dayton Agreement, which ended the conflict in Bosnia-Herzegovina from 1992 to 1995. As a member and later Chairman of the Helsinki Commission, I remember those events vividly—many Bosnians and Serbs testified before the Helsinki Commission in the 1990s (including victims of human rights abuses and human rights defenders) and some have since played leading roles as elected officials. In 1991, Frank Wolf and I visited Vukovar in neighboring Croatia while it was still under siege. With a group of other Helsinki Commissioners and Members of Congress, I urged a decisive international response under U.S. leadership from the very beginning of the war. In 1995 we spearheaded a movement to lift the arms embargo on Bosnia, so that it would not present such an inviting target to Serb militias. Sadly the embargo was lifted too late for the Bosniaks in Srebrenica. Just last month I met with a group of young Bosniaks belonging to Voices of the Bosnian Genocide. It was so moving to meet with these young people—many of them were from Srebrenica—and to learn how many of them had taken up work or study that sought to bring some good out of the horrors of 1995. Many studied human rights law, or conflict resolution, or medicine. Their lives were shaped not only by Srebrenica but also by Dayton, which brought an end to the killing. Yet as public officials we have a responsibility to remember that robust action earlier in the conflict could have saved many more lives and produced better prospects for the future. Twenty years later, this Dayton anniversary offers the opportunity to assess what has been achieved in Bosnia-Herzegovina. The agreement should rightly be remembered for restoring a peace that has held to this day, and for ensuring the sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of Bosnia-Herzegovina. Dayton gave the country time to begin to heal from a horrific conflict infamous for ethnic cleansing and atrocities against innocent civilians, including the genocide at Srebrenica— which we remembered with the unanimous passage of House Resolution 310 this past July—as well as the shelling of Sarajevo and other urban centers, and the rape and death camps established by Serb militant forces at the beginning of their aggression. In this small country, over two million were displaced by the conflict, more than 100,000 were killed, and tens of thousands were raped or tortured. Scars made by crimes of this scale still remain. Dayton was a central part of an effort that helped the international community transition from a world divided between East and West in order to meeting post-Cold War challenges, including the extreme and violent nationalism and its inherent hatred for others which manifested itself elsewhere in the Balkans and Europe. For the first time since World War II, an international tribunal was established to hold persons accountable for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. Determining the fate of missing persons, using new technology such as satellite photography to locate mass graves and DNA testing to identify remains, became a priority. The NATO Alliance, previously confined to the borders of its member states, expanded its security role to operate ''out of area,'' first to restore peace and then to keep it. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe also evolved to include significant field operations and new mandates ranging from election observation to police training. These developments remain relevant today. As we commemorate the accomplishments of Dayton, Mr. Speaker, we also must remember that the people of Bosnia-Herzegovina must live in its wake. It is my hope that, at the 30th anniversary of the end of the conflict, Bosnia will have made more progress and we will have more to celebrate.
Security in the Mediterranean Region: Challenges and Opportunities
From October 20-21, 2015, the OSCE held its annual Mediterranean Conference focused on "Security in the Mediterranean Region – Challenges and Opportunities." It included four distinctive themes: Session I: Common Security in the Mediterranean Region; Session II: Addressing Violent Extremism and Radicalization that Lead to Terrorism; Session III: The Role of Interfaith/Intercultural Dialogue; and Session IV: Irregular Migration, Refugee Protection, Migrant Smuggling and Human Trafficking in the Mediterranean.
Helsinki Commission Chair Honored by Voices of the Bosnian Genocide
WASHINGTON—Voices of the Bosnian Genocide honored Helsinki Commission Chair Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04) on Thursday with an award recognizing his efforts to ensure that the genocide at Srebrenica is acknowledged. "It is moving to receive this award from young people, many of whom are survivors of the genocide or lost relatives at Srebrenica and are now working to promote human rights," said Rep. Smith. "Today the international community is nearly unanimous when it proclaims that the Srebrenica massacre was a genocide, although shockingly, there are those who continue to deny that the policies of aggression and ethnic cleansing implemented by Serb forces meet that criteria." For more than 20 years, Rep. Smith has worked tirelessly to see that the perpetrators of the horrific acts at Srebrenica and elsewhere in Bosnia-Herzegovina are punished and that closure is provided to survivors and victims' families. In July 2015, Rep. Smith authored H. Res. 310 defining the Srebrenica massacre as a genocide, which was passed unanimously by the U.S. House of Representatives. Voices of the Bosnian Genocide is a Seattle-based nonprofit organization devoted to raising awareness and educating the public about the genocide that took place in Bosnia-Herzegovina in the 1990s and the ongoing effects that the genocide is having on Bosnia and the world. The group is made up of individuals who are passionate about genocide education and prevention and human rights.
US Lawmakers Back Protection for Europe's Jewish Communities
A resolution calling on the United States to urge European governments to act to keep their Jewish communities safe won unanimous support from the US House of Representatives Tuesday. The resolution, which had 89 co-sponsors, calls on the US administration to encourage European governments, law enforcement agencies and intergovernmental organizations to formally recognize and partner with Jewish community groups to strengthen crisis prevention, preparedness, mitigation and responses related to anti-Semitic attacks. It was introduced by Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., who chairs the Helsinki Commission, the congressional body that monitors compliance with human rights overseas.
Smith Resolution to Help Protect Jewish Communities in Europe Passes House Unanimously
WASHINGTON—Following the recent upswing in violent anti-Semitic attacks in several European nations, the U.S. House of Representatives today unanimously passed legislation urging the United States and European governments to take key steps to help keep Jewish communities safe. The legislation was introduced by Helsinki Commission Chairman Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04). "The number of violent anti-Semitic attacks has increased from 100 to 400 percent in some European countries since 2013," said Rep. Smith, who co-chairs the Bipartisan Taskforce for Combating Anti-Semitism. "The murders in Paris, Copenhagen, and elsewhere reminded us that there are those who are motivated by anti-Semitism and have the will to kill." H. Res. 354 calls on the U.S. Administration to encourage European governments, law enforcement agencies, and intergovernmental organizations to formally recognize and partner with Jewish community groups to strengthen crisis prevention, preparedness, mitigation, and responses related to anti-Semitic attacks. "This resolution calls for the United States Government to work with our European allies on specific actions that are essential to keep European Jewish communities safe and secure," Rep. Smith continued. "It is based on consultations with the leading experts who are working directly with these communities." The legislation passed today was endorsed by leading Jewish community groups including the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, the Jewish Federations of North America, the American Jewish Committee, the Anti-Defamation League, the Orthodox Union, the Secure Community Network, and the Simon Wiesenthal Center. The 89 bipartisan co-sponsors included all seven of the other co-Chairs of the House of Representatives Bipartisan Taskforce for Combating Anti-Semitism: Reps. Ted Deutch (FL-21), Nita Lowey (NY-17), Eliot Engel (NY-16), Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (FL-27), Kay Granger (TX-12), Steve Israel (NY-03), and Peter Roskam (IL-06). "Jewish Federations are grateful to the House of Representatives for passing a responsive resolution today, which provides a needed framework for how the U.S. government and Jewish community security groups like the Secure Community Network can work with their European counterparts to combat increasing anti-Semitic attacks in Europe," said William C. Daroff, Senior Vice President for Public Policy and Director of the Washington Office of the Jewish Federations of North America. "Jewish Federations are proud to have worked with Congress on this resolution's language and passage." "Battling the anti-Semitic threats facing European Jewish communities is vital to ensure the democratic and pluralistic fabric of Europe for all its citizens," said American Jewish Committee Executive Director David Harris. "This resolution sends a powerful message that battling the anti-Semitic threats facing European Jewish communities is a shared responsibility." "As a former law enforcement executive responsible for the investigation and prosecution of hate crimes, I applaud the unwavering leadership and determination of Congressman Smith for bringing this resolution to fruition," said Paul Goldenberg, National Director of the Secure Community Network. "It is a time of tremendous need, concern and uncertainty for all faith-based communities who face intimidation, hate crimes and fear of violence." Rep. Smith has a long record as a congressional leader in the fight against anti-Semitism. He is the author of the provisions of the Global Anti-Semitism Review Act of 2004 that created the Office to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism within the U.S. State Department. Following his 2002 landmark hearing on combating the escalation of anti-Semitic violence in Europe, "Escalating Anti-Semitic Violence in Europe," he led a congressional drive to place the issue of combating anti-Semitism at the top of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) agenda, as a result of which in 2004 the OSCE adopted new norms for its participating States on fighting anti-Semitism. In 2009, he delivered the keynote address at the Interparliamentary Coalition Combating Anti-Semitism London conference. In the 1990s, he chaired Congress's first hearings on anti-Semitism and in the early 1980s, his first trips abroad as a member of Congress were to the former Soviet Union, where he fought for the release of Jewish "refuseniks."
Help Protect Jewish Communities in Europe
Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman ROYCE for his leadership on this very important human rights issue, as he has done so ably and effectively on all of these issues, particularly his leadership on Iran; and that, of course, would be echoed with ELIOT ENGEL's excellent work there as well. This is a group of leaders that have made a huge difference. So thank you, Chairman ROYCE, for that. H. Res. 354, Mr. Speaker, prescribes specific, effective actions that government should take in response to the deadly threats to the Jewish communities in Europe. As we all know, the number of violent anti-Semitic attacks have increased from 100 to 400 percent in some European countries since 2013 alone. Murders in Paris and Copen-hagen and elsewhere remind us that there are those who are motivated by anti-Semitic hate and have the will and the means to kill. I would just note parenthetically that my work in combating anti-Semitism began back in 1981, in my first term, from this very podium, speaking out in favor of Jewish refuseniks. I joined Mark Levin and the NCSJ 1 year later in 1982 on a trip to the Soviet Union where we met with men and women who were targeted by the KGB and the Soviet evil empire simply be-cause they were Jewish. Sadly, anti- Semitism has not abated, and in recent years, it has actually worsened. This resolution calls for the United States Government to work with our European allies on specific actions that are essential to keep European Jewish communities safe and secure. It is based on consultations with the leading experts who are working directly with these communities. The resolution focuses on the formal partnerships between European law enforcement agencies and Jewish community security groups. Here in the United States, Mr. Speaker, the collaboration between the Department of Homeland Security and Security Community Network—an initiative of the Jewish Federation of North America and the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations—has been essential to protecting Jewish communities here. The formal partnerships between the Community Security Trust in the United Kingdom and the Jewish Community Security Service in France and their respective governments are also excellent models that need to be emulated. The resolution emphasizes the importance of consistent, two-way communication and information sharing between law enforcement agencies and Jewish community groups. It encourages the development of a pan-European information sharing, communication, and alerting system, and envisions governments, intergovernmental agencies, and Jewish communities working together on it. Such a system should function day-round and year- round and include training for personnel who are implementing it. The resolution also calls for European governments to support assessments in several key areas and accordingly adjust their actions and strategies. Details matter. The assessments should gather and analyze data on crimes committed, response from law enforcement, types of attacks or incidents that are most prevalent, and the types of targets that are most at risk. It is essential to understand how law enforcement agencies usually receive reports of anti-Semitic crimes and what initial actions they take when a report is filed. I remember years ago, when I offered a resolution at the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, we heard that it was just hooliganism and other kinds of acts done by young people when you spray-paint a swastika on a tombstone in a Jewish cemetery, when you deface a synagogue, and you attack a man simply because he is wearing a yarmulke. Clearly, these are acts of anti-Semitic hate; yet, they were being dismissed as something that was other. Assessments are also needed on Jewish community security groups, particularly of their capabilities, re-sources, relationships with local law enforcement agencies, preparedness, including emergency response plans, and the extent to which their decision-making is based on the best available information, analysis, and practices. The resolution calls for governments to use these assessments to help these community groups develop common baseline safety standards. These standards should include, as I said before, training, controlling access to physical facilities, physical security measures, including cameras, and crisis communications. Emergency exercises and simulations, mapping access to facilities, and sharing information with law enforcement agencies should also be part of the standards. These assessments, Mr. Speaker, will help achieve the resolution's call for law enforcement personnel to be well trained to monitor, prevent, and respond to anti-Semitic violence and to partner with Jewish communities. For all of these assessments, governments should draw information from sources that include Jewish groups, law enforcement agencies, independent human rights NGOs, research initiatives, and other civil society groups and leaders. H. Res. 354 calls for safety awareness and suspicious activity reporting campaigns, like ''If you see something, say something'' here in the United States. Other aspects of the resolution include appropriately integrating initiatives to counter violent extremism and those to combat anti-Semitism and the urgency of implementing the declarations, decisions, and other commitments of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe that focus on anti-Semitism. To accomplish these goals, the resolution calls for European governments to ensure that they appoint or designate senior officials with the necessary authority and resources to combat anti-Semitism and collaborate with governmental and intergovernmental agencies, law enforcement, and Jewish community groups. Finally, the resolution reaffirms support for the mandate of the United States Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism as part of the broader policy of fostering international religious freedom and urges the Secretary of State to continue robust U.S. reporting on anti-Semitism by the Department of State and the Special Envoy to Combat and Monitor Anti-Semitism. I would note parenthetically that I authored the amendment to the Global Anti-Semitism Review Act of 2004, introduced and sponsored by Senator Voinovich. My amendment created the Office to Monitor and Combat Anti- Semitism within the State Department. That has proven to be a key tool in this fight. Mr. Speaker, the resolution has the support of leading organizations, and it has 89 cosponsors, including all eight of the co-chairs of the Bipartisan Taskforce for Combating Anti-Semitism. I would like to acknowledge, Mr. Speaker, John Farmer, Jr., and Paul Goldenberg for their tireless efforts and dedication and leadership in fighting anti-Semitism and terrorism over the years. John is a former attorney general of New Jersey and is now on the steering committee of the Institute for Emergency Preparedness and Homeland Security and is the codirector of the Faith-Based Communities Security Program at Rutgers University. Paul is the executive director of the Secure Community Network and a senior adviser to the Institute and the program. Several major Jewish communities in Europe have relied on their counsel, and both have spent time on the ground within these communities. Finally, I would like to acknowledge and single out for very, very special thanks and recognition Rabbi Andy Baker, personal representative of the OSCE chair in the Office on Combating Anti-Semitism and director of the International Jewish Affairs for the American Jewish Committee. He has been critical—critical—to American leadership in Europe and in the United States in the fight against anti-Semitism.
Helsinki Commission Briefing to Examine Serious Decline in Respect for Human Rights in Azerbaijan
WASHINGTON—The Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, also known as the Helsinki Commission, today announced the following briefing: "The Rule of Law and Civil Society in Azerbaijan" Thursday, November 5 2:00PM Cannon House Office Building Room 311 The last two years have witnessed a precipitous decline in the respect for rule of law and human rights in Azerbaijan. Many independent civil society organizations have been forced to close due to onerous regulations, threats of intimidation, or the arrest of the organization's leaders. Independent media has been severely curtailed or closed down. Opposition parties are harassed and often shut out of the election process. High-profile politicians are serving lengthy prison sentences on charges that many observers believe were politically motivated. This briefing will have a particular focus on the rule of law and how the government of Azerbaijan is using its judicial system to intimidate and imprison critics of the government. The briefing will also analyze the results of the November 1 parliamentary election and its implications for Azerbaijan's future direction. The following panelists are scheduled to participate: Ambassador Richard Morningstar, US Ambassador to the Republic of Azerbaijan from July 2012 to August 2014 and Founding Director of the Global Energy Center, Atlantic Council Natalia Bourjaily, Vice President – Eurasia, International Center for Not-for-Profit Law Dinara Yunus, Daughter of imprisoned Azerbaijani human rights defenders Leyla and Arif Yunus
Helsinki Commission Chair Honored by American Hungarian Federation
WASHINGTON—The American Hungarian Federation honored Helsinki Commission Chair Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04) on October 22 with its Colonel Commandant Michael Kovats Medal of Freedom, awarded to outstanding individuals to recognize their life's achievements, dedication to freedom and democracy, promotion of transatlantic relations, and meritorious contribution to society. "I am delighted to have received the Kovats award, which represents the long-standing commitment of Hungarian Americans to the United States and is a testament to the special ties between our two nations," said Rep. Smith. "Colonel Kovats gave his life for the cause of freedom during the American Revolution, and truly embodied the courage and patriotism of the Hungarian people. This courage was reflected during the 1956 Hungarian Revolution against the Soviet-installed communist dictatorship, which remains a model of patriotism, heroism and resistance against tyranny." Rep. Dan Lipinski (IL-03) was also honored with the Kovats Medal by the American Hungarian Federation, which was founded in 1906. It is the largest Hungarian-American umbrella organization in the United States and among the oldest ethnic organizations in the country. "Rep. Smith is a strong supporter of good bilateral relations with Hungary, and recognizes that the U.S. has a strategic interest in maintaining good ties with that country," said Frank Koszorús, Jr., National President of the American Hungarian Federation. "He steadfastly promotes human rights and democracy, and has traveled to Budapest to better gauge what is happening on the ground and to understand the country, its people, its hopes and fears, and its accomplishments over the centuries." Also attending Thursday's event, which marked the 59th anniversary of the Hungarian Revolution of 1956, were Hungarian Ambassador Réka Szemerkényi, Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (FL-25), and Rep. Dennis Ross (FL-15). "It was in the month of October, on the twenty-third day in 1956, that the small Eastern European nation of Hungary rose up in a revolution against the Soviet Union that represented the first major challenge to its military dominion since World War II… this was David facing down Goliath in the modern era, and as such it remains and will remain an inspiration to freedom loving people everywhere," said Dr. Louis S. Segesvary of the American Hungarian Federation. "Hungary and the United States share a similar past. Both risked revolutions against the greatest powers of their times." "Almost 60 years after the Hungarian revolution, and more than 25 years after the regime change, it is more important than ever for Hungarians and Americans alike to remember that communism was not a beautiful utopia," said Marion Smith, Executive Director of the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation, which co-hosted the program. "It was and is an ideology that enables tyranny. Communist regimes everywhere systematically killed a portion of their own people as a matter of policy in peacetime, denied citizens their basic rights, robbed them of their food and of their labor, and tore families apart in maintaining a police state."
The Russian Government Violates Its Security, Economic, Human Rights Commitments and Agreements
Mr. Speaker, yesterday I chaired a hearing of the Helsinki Commission that examined the Russian government's repeated violations of its international security, economic, and human rights commitments. In accord with the three dimensions of security promoted by the OSCE and the Helsinki Final Act of 1975, the Commission looked at Russia's respect for the rule of law through the lens of three ''case studies'' current to U.S.-Russian relations—arms control agreements; the Yukos litigation; and instances of abduction, unjust imprisonment, and abuse of prisoners. Forty years after the signing of the Helsinki Final Act, we face a set of challenges with Russia, a founding member of the organization, that mirror the concerns that gave rise to the Helsinki Final Act. At stake is the hard-won trust between members—now eroded to the point that armed conflict rages in the OSCE region. The question is open whether the principles continue to bind the Russian government with other states in a common understanding of what the rule of law entails. In respect of military security, under the 1994 Budapest Memorandum Russia reaffirmed its commitment to respect Ukraine's independence, sovereignty, and existing borders. Russia also committed to refrain from the threat or use of force or economic coercion against Ukraine. There was a quid pro quo here: Russia did this in return for transferring Soviet-made nuclear weapons on Ukrainian soil to Russia. Russia's annexation of Crimea and subsequent intervention in the Donbas region not only clearly violate this commitment, but also every guiding principle of the 1975 Helsinki Final Act. It appears these are not isolated instances. In recent years, Russia appears to have violated, undermined, disregarded, or even disavowed fundamental and binding arms control commitments such as the Vienna Document and binding international agreements, including the Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE), Intermediate Nuclear Forces (INF), and Open Skies treaties. In respect of commercial issues, the ongoing claims regarding the Russian government's expropriation of the Yukos Oil Company are major tests facing the Russian government. In July 2014, GML Limited and other shareholders were part of a $52 billion arbitration claim awarded by the Hague Permanent Court of Arbitration and the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). In response, the Russian government is threatening to withdraw from the ECHR and seize U.S. assets should American courts freeze Russian holdings on behalf of European claimants, while filing technical challenges that will occupy the courts for years to come. All of this fundamentally calls into question Russia's OSCE commitment to develop free, competitive markets that respect international dispute arbitration mechanisms such as that of the Hague. I note that U.S. Yukos shareholders are not covered by the Hague ruling for their estimated $6 billion in losses. This is due to the fact that the United States has not ratified the Energy Charter Treaty, under which European claimants won their case, as well as the continued absence of a bilateral investment treaty with Russia. This has handicapped U.S. investors in Russia's energy sector, leaving them solely dependent of a State Department espousal process with the Russian government. We were all relieved to learn that Mr. Kara-Murza is recovering from the attempt on his life—by poisoning—in Russia earlier this year. His tireless work on behalf of democracy in Russia, and his personal integrity and his love of his native country is an inspiration—it is true patriotism, a virtue sadly lacking among nationalistic demagogues. Sadly, the attempt on Mr. Kara-Murza's life is not an isolated instance. Others have been murdered—most recently Boris Nemtsov—and both his and Mr. Kara-Murza's cases remain unsolved. In other cases, such as the abductions, unjust imprisonments, and abuses of Nadiya Savchenko, Oleg Sentsov, and Eston Kohver, we are dealing the plain and public actions of the Russian government. Nadiya Savchenko, a Ukrainian pilot and elected parliamentarian, was abducted by Russian government agents, imprisoned, subjected to a humiliating show trial, and now faces 25 years in prison for allegedly murdering Russian reporters—who in fact were killed after she was in Russian custody. Meanwhile, a Russian court has sentenced Ukrainian film director Oleg Sentsov on charges of terrorism. Tortured during detention, Sentsov's only transgressions appear to be his refusal to recognize Russia's annexation of the peninsula and his effort to help deliver food to Ukrainian soldiers trapped on their Crimean bases by invading Russian soldiers. And the kidnaping and subsequent espionage trial against Estonian law enforcement officer Eston Kohver demonstrates the Russia's readiness to abuse its laws and judicial system to limit individual freedoms both within and beyond its borders. The Magnitsky Act that I had the honor to co-sponsor was in part meant to address human rights abuses such as these. It sanctions those involved in the abuse, and works to discourage further human rights violations while protecting those brave enough to call attention to their occurrence. It troubles me greatly to hear that the Administration's listings of sanctioned individuals has thus far only targeted 'minor players,' rather than those who pull the strings.
Taking Action on Europe's Worst Refugee Crisis Since World War II
Mr. Speaker, on Tuesday I convened a Helsinki Commission hearing to scrutinize the European refugee crisis and help determine the most effective ways in which the U.S., the European Union, and the OSCE can and should respond. The Syrian displacement crisis that has consumed seven countries in the Middle East has become the biggest refugee crisis in Europe since World War II. At least 250,000 people have been killed in Syria's civil war, many of them civilians. The security forces of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad's security forces have been responsible for many of these killings, targeting neighborhoods with barrel bombs and shooting civilians point-blank. ISIS has committed genocide, mass atrocities, and war crimes, against Christians and other minorities, and likewise targeted, brutalized and killed Shia and Sunni Muslims who reject its ideology and brutality. Fleeing for safety, more than four million Syrians are refugees, the largest refugee population in the world, and another 7.6 million Syrians are displaced inside their home country. Syria's neighbors—Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, Iraq, and Egypt—are hosting most of these refugees. Before the Syria crisis, these countries struggled with high rates of unemployment, strained public services, and a range of other domestic challenges. Since the conflict began, Syrian refugees have become a quarter of Lebanon's population, and Iraq, which has been beset by ISIS and sectarian conflict, is hosting almost 250,000 refugees from Syria. Until this past summer, few Syrian refugees went beyond countries that border their homeland. Syrian refugees and migrants from a range of countries have since come to Europe in such large numbers, and so quickly, that many European countries, especially front-line entry points like Greece, transit countries like Serbia, and destination countries like Germany, have been challenged to respond. The UN High Commission for Refugees, UNHCR, reports that more than 635,000 refugees and migrants have arrived in Europe by sea in 2015. Fifty three percent of these people are from Syria, sixteen percent from Afghanistan, six percent from Eritrea, and five percent from Iraq. Notably, only fourteen percent of them are women, twenty percent are children, and the remaining sixty-five percent are men. The European crisis requires a response that is European, national, and international, and the United States is essential to it. There must be effective coordination and communication directly between countries as well as through and with entities like the OSCE and European Union. Individual countries also must have the flexibility to respond best to the particular circumstances in their own countries. The response must address ''push'' factors, like economic challenges and aid short-falls in countries like Syria's neighbors that have been hosting refugees. It must also address ''pull'' factors, like decisions individual European countries have made that have attracted refugees. There is real human need and desperation. Refugees are entrusting themselves to smugglers and where there is human smuggling there is a higher risk of human trafficking. I am especially concerned about the risk of abuse, exploitation, and enslavement, of women and children. Already we are hearing reports that some European countries are failing to protect women and girls from sexual assault and forced prostitution. The lack of separate bathroom facilities for males and females, rooms that can be locked, and other basic measures, enable such attacks. There is no excuse for such failures and everything must be done to ensure that women and children are safe. There is also the real threat that terrorist groups like ISIS will infiltrate these massive movements of people to kill civilians in Europe and beyond. I am deeply concerned that the screening at many European borders is inadequate and putting lives at risk. All of us must be responsive to the humanitarian needs without compromising one iota on security. European response plans should include specifics about strengthening security screening throughout the European region. During the conflict in Kosovo, I travelled to Stenkovec refugee camp in Macedonia and was at the McGuire Air Force Base in New Jersey to welcome some of the 4,400 people brought from there to the United States. A refugee—Agron Abdullahu—was apprehended and sent to jail in 2008 for supplying guns and ammunition to the ''Fort Dix 5''—a group of terrorists who were also sent to prison for plotting to kill American soldiers at the Fort Dix military installation. Given Secretary Kerry's announcement in September that the United States intends to resettle at least 85,000 refugees in fiscal year 2016, including at least 10,000 Syrians, and at least 100,000 refugees in fiscal year 2017, the United States and Europe must be on high alert to weed out terrorists from real refugees. Because religious and ethnic minorities often have additional risks and vulnerabilities even as refugees, they should be prioritized for resettlement. Tuesday's hearing examined the ''who'' is arriving, the ''why'' they are coming to Europe, and the ''what'' has been done and should be done in response. European governments, entities like the OSCE and the EU, and civil society all have critical roles to play. The United States has been the leading donor to the humanitarian crisis inside Syria and refugee crisis in the region. We also have the largest refugee admissions program in the world. However, according to Tuesday's testimony from Shelly Pitterman, Regional Representative for the UN High Commission for Refugees, ''The current inter-agency Syrian Regional Refugee and Resilience (3RP) plan for 2015 is only 41 percent funded, which has meant cuts in food aid for thousands of refugees.'' Globally, he warned, ''the humanitarian system is financially broke. We are no longer able to meet even the absolute minimum requirements of core protection and lifesaving assistance to preserve the human dignity of the people we care for. The current funding level for the 33 UN appeals to provide humanitarian assistance to 82 million people around the world is only 42 percent. UNHCR expects to receive just 47 percent of the funding we need this year.'' At the hearing, Sean Callahan, Chief Operating Officer of Catholic Relief Services, said, ''As global leaders in the international humanitarian and refugee response, the U.S. and Europe must heed Pope Francis' call and find new ways to alleviate the suffering and protect the vulnerable.'' I could not agree more. In the 20th and 21th centuries, the United States and Europe have come together to address the great challenges of our time and this is an opportunity to do so again.
Russian Violations of the Rule of Law: How Should the U.S. Respond? 3 Case Studies
This hearing, held on October 20, 2015, discussed Russia's compliance with the rule of law across the three dimensions of the OSCE: military security, commercial, and human rights committments. The witnesses focused their testimonies on three particularly relevant case studies: arms control agreements, the Yukos litigation, and instances of abduction, unjust imprisonment and abuse of prisoners.
Helsinki Commission Chair Chris Smith Shines Light on Egregious Rule-of-Law Abuses by Russian Government
WASHINGTON—At a Congressional hearing today, the U.S. Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, also known as the Helsinki Commission, spotlighted the many recent violations of the rule of law committed by the Russian government. "Forty years after the signing of the Helsinki Final Act, we face a set of challenges with Russia, a founding member of the organization, that mirror the concerns that gave rise to the Helsinki Final Act," said Helsinki Commission Chairman Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04), who called the hearing. "At stake is the hard-won trust between members, now eroded to the point that armed conflict rages in the OSCE region. The question is open whether the principles continue to bind the Russian government with other states in a common understanding of what the rule of law entails." "Russia's annexation of Crimea and subsequent intervention in the Donbas region not only clearly violate this commitment, but also every guiding principle of the 1975 Helsinki Final Act. It appears these are not isolated instances. In recent years, Russia appears to have violated, undermined, disregarded, or even disavowed fundamental and binding arms control commitments," Smith continued. "[I also] question Russia's OSCE commitment to develop free, competitive markets that respect international dispute arbitration mechanisms...[and recent government actions] demonstrate Russia's readiness to abuse its laws and judicial system to limit individual freedoms both within and beyond its borders." Witness testimony highlighted case studies corresponding to each of the three dimensions of comprehensive security established by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE): politico-military security; economic and environmental security; and human rights and fundamental freedoms. Tim Osborne, executive director of GML Ltd., the majority owner of the now-liquidated Yukos Oil Company, said, "It is clear that the Russian Federation is not honoring its obligations and commitments under the rule of law or in a manner consistent with the Helsinki process. Russia's tendency, more often than not, has been to ignore, delay, obstruct or retaliate when faced with its international law responsibilities…Russia cannot be trusted in international matters and that even when it has signed up to international obligations, it will ignore them if that is what it thinks serves it best." "Russia had engaged in the uncompensated expropriation of billions of dollars of U.S. investments in Yukos Oil Company," observed former U.S. Under Secretary of State for Economic, Business and Agricultural Affairs Ambassador Alan Larson. "American investors—who owned about 12 percent of Yukos at the time of the expropriation—have claims worth over $14 billion, and they are entitled to compensation under international law even though they have no option for bringing claims directly against the Russian Federation." Vladimir Kara-Murza, a well-known Russian activist and the coordinator of the Open Russia Movement, said, "Today, the Kremlin fully controls the national airwaves, which it has turned into transmitters for its propaganda…the last Russian election recognized by the OSCE as conforming to basic democratic standards was held more than 15 years ago." "There are currently 50 political prisoners in the Russian Federation," Kara-Murza continued. "These prisoners include opposition activists jailed under the infamous 'Bolotnaya case' for protesting against Mr. Putin's inauguration in May 2012; the brother of anti-corruption campaigner Alexei Navalny; and Alexei Pichugin, the remaining hostage of the Yukos case." "A clear pattern emerges when one looks at Russia's implementation of its arms control obligations overall," observed Stephen Rademaker, former Assistant Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security and Nonproliferation. "Should Moscow conclude such agreements have ceased to serve its interest, it will ignore them, effectively terminate them, violate them while continuing to pay them lip service, or selectively implement them…Russia believes that this is how great powers are entitled to act, and today Moscow insists on acting and being respected as a great power." Chairman Smith was joined at the hearing by a panel of lawmakers including Commission Co-Chairman Senator Roger Wicker (MS) and Representative Robert Aderholt (AL-04).
Europe's Refugee Crisis: How Should the US, EU and OSCE Respond?
This hearing, held on October 20, 2015, discussed possible responses to the Syrian refugee crisis. Witnesses, including representatives from the American and Serbian governments, the UNHCR, the European Union, and non-profit groups working with refugees, highlighted the scale and intensity of the crisis. Many of the witnesses also emphasized the need for cooperation among governments and between governments and non-profit organizations in addressing this crisis.
Smith Calls for Action on Worst Refugee Crisis in Europe since WWII
WASHINGTON—At a hearing convened today by the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, also known as the Helsinki Commission, Chairman Chris Smith (NJ-04) and other lawmakers scrutinized actions being taken to deal with Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II by the United States, European governments, regional bodies like the OSCE and the EU, and civil society. The Commission also reviewed recommendations on developing a long-term solution to the crisis. "The European crisis requires a response that is European, national, and international. There must be effective coordination and communication directly between countries as well as through and with entities like the OSCE and European Union," said Rep. Smith, who called today's hearing. "There is real human need and desperation. Refugees are entrusting themselves to smugglers and where there is human smuggling there is a higher risk of human trafficking," he continued. "There is also the real threat that terrorist groups like ISIS will infiltrate these massive movements of people to kill civilians in Europe and beyond. I am deeply concerned that the screening at many European borders is inadequate and putting lives at risk. All of us must be responsive to the humanitarian needs without compromising one iota on security." Smith said that "given the disproportionate number of men fleeing to Europe and potentially soon to the United States – currently only 14 percent of the refugees and migrants arriving via the Mediterranean Sea are women, 20 percent are children, and the remaining 65 percent are men – robust vetting is essential. We must ensure that lone wolf terrorists don't turn into wolf packs." Smith noted that during the conflict in Kosovo, he travelled to Stenkovec refugee camp in Macedonia and was at the McGuire Air Force Base in New Jersey to welcome some of the 4,400 people brought from there to the United States. A refugee – Agron Abdullahu – was apprehended and sent to jail in 2008 for supplying guns and ammunition to the "Fort Dix 5," a group of terrorists who were also sent to prison for plotting to kill American soldiers at the Fort Dix military installation. Given Secretary Kerry's announcement in September that the United States intended to resettle at least 85,000 refugees in fiscal year 2016, including at least 10,000 Syrians, and at least 100,000 refugees in fiscal year 2017, "The United State and Europe must be on high alert to weed out terrorists from real refugees," Smith said. He added, "ISIS has committed genocide, mass atrocities, and war crimes, against Christians and other minorities. Religious and ethnic minorities often have additional risks and vulnerabilities even as refugees and should be prioritized for resettlement." Witnesses testifying at the hearing focused on the root causes of the refugee crisis as well as the current measures being put into place to help mitigate the humanitarian impact and ensure that security and economic challenges are addressed. In addition, witnesses emphasized the importance of a shared and coordinated response by all actors involved to ensure a long-term solution to the crisis. "It's a very challenging situation," said Anne Richard, Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration. "The scale of this migration is much bigger than before." "The US government has a three-pronged approach: strong levels of humanitarian assistance; active diplomacy; and expanded refugee resettlement," she continued. "Without our support, more people would be making the dangerous journey to the north." "Europe is facing its biggest refugee influx in decades. UNHCR is calling upon the European Union to provide an immediate and life-saving response to the thousands of refugees as they are crossing the Mediterranean and making their way through Europe," said Shelly Pitterman, Regional Representative to the United States and Caribbean, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. "Europe can no longer afford to continue with this fragmented approach that undermines efforts to rebuild responsibility, solidarity and trust among states, and is creating chaos and desperation among thousands of refugee women, men and children. After the many gestures by governments and citizens across Europe to welcome refugees, the focus now needs to be on a robust, joint European response." "The ongoing refugee crisis is not a European crisis. It is a global crisis, fueled by conflicts, inequality and poverty, the consequences of which unfolded in Europe but the roots of which are far away from our continent," noted EU Ambassador to the United States David O'Sullivan. "The EU and its Member States are firmly committed to the promotion and protection of the human rights of migrants. Despite the influx, we do not remove or return genuine refugees, we respect the fundamental rights of all persons arriving in the EU, and we invest major resources in saving lives at sea." Djerdj Matkovic, Ambassador of the Republic of Serbia to the United States, said, "The OSCE region is witnessing the largest refugee influx in decades. Apart from being a significant economic challenge, this is a process with potentially very serious security implications and the cause of concern in regards to the respect for human rights… As the presiding country [of the OSCE] Serbia recognizes the importance of this issue and is trying to provide more active and concrete approach of the OSCE in addressing it. In light of this bleak security situation and looming instability, it is paramount that all the mechanisms that were designed and adopted by the participating States to oversee the implementation of commitments are strong and functioning." Sean Callahan, chief operating officer of Catholic Relief Services, observed, "As global leaders in international humanitarian and refugee response, the US and Europe must find new and creative ways to help to alleviate this suffering and protect the vulnerable. Pope Francis has led in this effort to do more by asking every Catholic parish in Europe to reach out and assist the refugees; he reminds us of our moral obligation to help the stranger... Despite efforts by [international NGOs] like CRS, local civil societies, governments, and non-traditional donors, the despair of so many refugees indicates that assistance must move beyond short-term band-aids to longer-term solutions." Chairman Smith was joined at the hearing by a bipartisan group of lawmakers, including Senator John Boozman (AR), Senator Jeanne Shaheen (NH), Representative Michael Burgess (TX-26), Representative Randy Hultgren (IL-14), and Representative Joe Pitts (PA-16).
Russian Rule-of-Law Abuses to Be Examined at Upcoming Helsinki Commission Hearing
WASHINGTON—The Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, also known as the Helsinki Commission, today announced the following hearing: "Russian Violations of the Rule of Law: How Should the U.S. Respond? 3 Case Studies" Wednesday, October 21 2:00 PM Rayburn House Office Building Room 2255 Live Webcast: http://bit.ly/1VRaf3G The actions of the Russian government have raised questions about Russia's failure to respect its commitment to the rule of law in the areas of military security, commerce, and laws bearing on human rights – each corresponding to one of the three dimensions of security established by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). Using the Helsinki Final Act as a basis for discussion, the hearing will focus on security violations of the Budapest Memorandum; the Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE), Open Skies, Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaties, and the Vienna Document. Regarding international legal and commercial agreements such as the Energy Charter Treaty, the New York Convention and bilateral investment treaties the hearing will review developments in the Yukos Oil case. On human rights, it will inquire into cases of abduction/unjust imprisonment, torture, and abuse, including those of Nadiya Savchenko, Oleg Sentsov, and Eston Kover. The following witnesses are scheduled to testify: Vladimir Kara-Murza, Coordinator, Open Russia Movement Alan Larson, Senior International Policy Advisor with Covington & Burlington LLP, former Under Secretary of State for Economics and Career Ambassador, U.S. State Department Tim Osborne, Executive Director of GML Ltd. - the majority owner of the now liquidated Yukos Oil Company Stephen Rademaker, Principal with the Podesta Group, Former Assistant Secretary of State for the U.S. State Department Bureau of Arms Control and the Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation
Helsinki Commission Announces Hearing to Examine Europe's Refugee Crisis
Europe is experiencing an enormous refugee crisis. An estimated half a million migrants and refugees have crossed the Mediterranean to Europe so far in 2015; as many as 50 percent are Syrian refugees. Thousands more join them each day, and many of the European nations of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) are struggling to cope.
As the regional security organization in Europe, how can the OSCE use its tools, standards, and commitments to help manage the humanitarian crisis and ensure that security and economic challenges are addressed? What has the US government done, and what should it be doing? The hearing will examine the reasons for the current crisis; relevant OSCE and other European agreements, commitments, and structures; the response of the OSCE, the EU, and the US; potential security issues related to the ability of extremists to infiltrate the refugee stream; and the potential for refugees to become victims of human trafficking.
Commission on security and cooperation in Europe
U. S. Helsinki Commission
234 Ford House Office Building
3rd and D Streets SW, Washington, DC 20515
TEL: 202-225-1901 | FAX: 202-226-4199 | EMAIL: INFO@CSCE.GOV | PRIVACY STATEMENT
Copyright © 2016 Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe: CSCE. All rights reserved.

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10 Things By no means to Say to Your Doctor About Chronic Pain. Not all patients are retired or not able to afford to not work despite living with power ache. As Lembke factors out , that's nonetheless seven and 40 hours more than doctors get for addiction therapy. Many people take sturdy pain drugs like oxycontin or endone without developing an addiction downside. Most medical doctors who do not specialist in Pain Management, draw back from prescribing narcotics.
However options for habit can't be constructed upon the broken bodies of continual ache patients. 1990) (issuing numerous prescriptions for managed substances with no documented bodily examination of the patients is evidence of conduct outdoors the course of traditional professional follow"); United States v. Nelson, 383 F.3d 1227 (10th Cir. Examples of targets embrace: lowering the severity of pain, bettering bodily function, growing exercise at residence or work, growing participation in social actions, lowering medication use, growing self-management of pain and related problems, improving temper, bettering sleep patterns.
Opioid injections are typically prescribed to cancer patients, however are not really useful for treating non-malignant ache. This government cannot proceed to legislate dependancy by proscribing much-wanted drugs that help alleviate bodily struggling. Docs on this service are specifically trained in the varieties of pain control choices described on the subsequent several pages. Dr. William Longton , Dr. Richard Shinaman , and Dr. Ruben Kalra were invited speakers to the East Bay Safe Prescribing Coalition on advising clinicians on best prescribing practices & use of non-opiate modalities to assist patients with chronic pain.
She takes a variety of medication for continual ache, however in the present day it was just not sufficient. The medications restore stability to those brain circuits, preventing withdrawal symptoms and restoring the patient to a normal situation that enables effective psychosocial therapy and social functioning. Aggressive advertising by makers of long-acting painkillers, along with unfounded reassurances that they were secure, played a task within the explosion of prescribing—as did the culture of medical follow which rewarded hospitals primarily based on affected person satisfaction ratings, hurried visits, and a dearth of ready insurance coverage-lined alternate options.
Continual ache can have an enormous affect on individuals.
10 Things By no means to Say to Your Physician About Persistent Ache. There are at all times dangers concerned with taking medicines for ache management. The incidence of dependancy to narcotic or morphine- like drugs is about 3-5%. Opioids are in fact the one factor that has ever labored for every day episodes of ache which might be so severe that they're actually life threatening. Medical doctors, specifically, have been open in acknowledging their function in the opioid crisis and are attempting to stability acceptable prescribing with an obligation to deal with pain in an efficient and compassionate means.
Yes, there are individuals on the market who legitimately get a prescription from their physician for pain and sure, they may promote these pills on the street…who is aware of why, maybe to pay a bill, perhaps feed a baby, who can say, but these individuals are rare right now. 481, 481 (2007); see additionally Reidenberg & Willis, supra word 71, at 905 (discussing physicians' fear of prescribing opioids as a consequence of criminal prosecutions).
The cartels are flooding the US with Fentanyl stuffed imposters of common ache medicines which can be killing what have been respectable pain sufferers that have been & are being deserted by their docs. Ache Management Docs That Prescribe Narcoticshave some pictures that related each other. Moreover, those who undergo chronic ache as a result of a previous harm, sickness or treatment would possibly require ache administration remedy.
Many other ache management physicians are procedure pushed and you'll see this in their practices as a result of they rely closely on interventional pain procedures because the mainstay of therapy.
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Standing by her man. Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino's wife, Lauren Pesce, released a statement after he surrendered to prison on Tuesday, January 15, to serve an eight-month sentence for tax evasion.
Pesce previously sent the Jersey Shore: Family Vacation star, 36, well wishes hours before he arrived at the Federal Correctional Institution in Otisville, New York, on Tuesday.
The Here's the Situation author, along with his brother Marc, was indicted for tax evasion in September 2014. He pleaded guilty in January 2018 and in October, he was sentenced to eight months in prison and two years of supervised release for one count of tax evasion and was ordered to pay more than $133,000 in restitution and fines.


New Delhi, Sep 11: Opening a possible new war front, the Election Commission on Tuesday issued notice to Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) asking why action should not be taken on the alleged donation mismatch filed by the party during the financial year 2014-15.
In the notice, the poll body said that, "its disclosures to the Election Commission in the form of the contribution report are incorrect" and added that the Commission "directs you to show cause as to why action should not be taken against Aam Aadmi Party for failure to follow its lawful directions".
The Commission said the original report, filed by the AAP on November 30, 2015 contains a list of 2696 donors with the total donations amounting to Rs. 37,45,44,618 and the revised contribution report shows the total amount as Rs.37,60,62,631 received from 8,264 donors.
However, in its notice the Commission said the CBDT Chairman wrote to them on on January 5, 2018 regarding the concealment of donation received by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) during Financial Year 2014-15 and other discrepancies.
The CBDT report stated, "the bank account of the AAP has recorded total credits of Rs 67.67 crores, including Rs 64.44 crores from donations in excess of Rs 20,0001.
The poll body added that the party, however, disclosed a total income of Rs.54.15 crores from donations in its audited accounts for the year.
The Commission further said that, according to CBDT report the party has taken accommodation entries from hawala operators to the tune of Rs. 2 crores and these have also been wrongly disclosed as voluntary donations.
The poll body also alleged "It details how the party has changed/revised its contribution report once the correctness of the same was questioned".
The Commission further stated that the AAP's reply should be filed before the Commission within 20 days from the date of receipt of the notice, failing which the matter will be decided on merits based on information available on record.
According to media reports, the Income Tax department served a notice to the AAP on November last year that claimed the party had concealed income of Rs 13 crores and that it failed to reveal details of donors.


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Mayor Walsh Announces Boston's New Cannabis Board Members
BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — Boston Mayor Marty Walsh has announced the five members of the city's new Cannabis Board, which will focus on equity in Boston's marijuana industry.
The Board members will include a former Boston Police Department Superintendent, the former Chair of the Boston Licensing Board, and a former Executive Director of the Boston Public Health Commission. All five members live in Boston neighborhoods, four out of five are women, and four out of five are people of color.
The announcement comes after Walsh partnered with Councilor Kim Janey and the Boston City Council in November 2019, signing an Ordinance Establishing Equitable Regulation of the Cannabis Industry in the City of Boston. The ordinance aims to ensure Boston is a model for how cities can develop a legal cannabis industry that fosters racial equality and inclusion.
According to the ordinance, the Board was established because "certain racial and ethnic groups, in particular Blacks and Latinos, have been disproportionately arrested and incarcerated for the use and distribution of cannabis and other drugs due to the so-called 'War on Drugs,' and to date, no certified minority-owned businesses have been licensed by the state's Cannabis Control Commission."
It also cites the law which "requires the development of 'procedures and policies to promote and encourage full participation in the regulated marijuana industry by people from communities that have previously been disproportionately harmed by marijuana prohibition, and enforcement and to positively impact those communities.'" It says the neighborhoods particularly impacted in Boston include "Roxbury, Dorchester, and Mattapan."
Here's more on the five new members of Boston's new Cannabis Board:
Kathleen Joyce will be Chair of the Boston Cannabis Board. Joyce has been Chair of the Licensing Board for the City of Boston since October 2018. She was previously Senior Counsel at the Boston Planning and Development Agency, and before that she spent seven years as the Director of Government Relations and Public Affairs at the Boston Bar Association. She graduated from the College of the Holy Cross, and Suffolk University Law School. She lives in Dorchester.
Monica Valdes Lupi, JD, MPH is the former Executive Director of the Boston Public Health Commission. She is also a Senior Fellow at the de Beaumont Foundation, where she has spent more than 20 years advising and leading efforts to advance a health agenda on issues like tobacco and e-cigarette flavor control, racial justice, and health equity. Valdes Lupi has also served as the Deputy Commissioner for the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. She earned her BA from Bryn Mawr College, her MPH from BU School of Public Health, and her JD from the Dickinson School of Law/Penn State University. She lives in West Roxbury.
Darlene Lombos was the first person of color to lead the Greater Boston Labor Council, representing nearly 100,000 workers in the region. She was unanimously voted to the position by delegates representing 160 labor unions like construction, hospitality, health care, transportation, and education. Lombos is also the former Executive Director of the non-profit organization Community Labor United. She has many years of experience in community and youth organization, and coalition-building. She lives in Roxbury.
Lisa Holmes is the former Superintendent of the Boston Police Department, who has more than three decades experience in public safety. One of the first members of the BPD Gang Unit in the 1990s, Holmes worked as a detective on the department's toughest cases of sexual assault, homicide, and human trafficking. Holmes was also the first African-American woman to lead BPD's police academy, strengthening the community policing-based training. Holmes got her BA in Criminal Justice from Curry College, her Masters in Counseling Psychology from Northeastern University, and her Graduate Certificate in Leadership and Management from Suffolk University's Moakley Center for Public Management. She lives in Dorchester.
John Smith is the Director of Programs at TSNE MissionWords, a nonprofit that works to improve communities and fight for social change. He is also the former Policy Analyst in the Mayor's Office of Economic Development for the City of Boston. He has previously worked at Greater Boston's Fair Housing Center, the Hyams Foundation Youth Policy Initiative, and the Tennessee Department of Health. Smith got his Masters in Public Policy from Tufts University. He is originally from Trinidad, and he lives in Dorchester.


It is concerned with the advertising and marketing process that unoriginal on a website Internet Marketing Help - E -An abbreviation for Electronic Book. - Advertisers are the ones who buy the and see their performance in relation to their visitors. Internet marketing, also called online marketing, involves creating awareness about an organization's products and/or services, conducting at a website as a result of the blind links. It is a secured and guaranteed internet marketing company and logo are so popular that text is not necessary in their marketing campaign. Internet marketing in simple connotation is an online marketing that emerged for advertisement, endorsement and direct traffic to our websites with Yellow Pages; may it rest in peace. The techniques implemented in internet marketing enable you to basic needs when buying and is usually integrated into the marketing campaign.
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Jon A Kreykes
For far-reaching accomplishments on national security issues relating to nuclear weapons proliferation, security of nuclear materials, and counterterrorism.
David J Singh
For contributions to the methodology for electronic structure calculations and in applications to diverse classes of materials.
Elias Greenbaum
Greenbaum, the winner of the 1995 DOE Biological and Chemical Technologies Research Award, has done extensive experimental work in photosynthesis, the process by which green plants grow, and its application to renewable energy production.
Chain T Liu
For leadership in the development of high-temperature materials for energy and space applications, based on innovative use of physical metallurgy principles and basic physics knowledge to understand crystal structures and the mechanical properties of structural materials.
J Michael Ramsey
For significant and fundamental achievements in laser-based chemical measurement techniques, such as single molecule detection in liquids, and pioneering the efforts in the development of microfabricated chemical instrumentation, including the laboratory on a chip concept.


text:
https://1024-dot-apnews-dev.appspot.com/article/north-korea-japan-europe-russia-china-6f71cffa33183891b29b2f4b8f4b1ac6
Japan seeks extra defense budget amid China, N Korea concern
By MARI YAMAGUCHINovember 26, 2021 GMT
FILE - Japan's honor guard marches into the entrance area of the Ministry of Defense in Tokyo, Friday, Nov. 5, 2021. Japan's Cabinet on Friday approved a 770 billion yen ($6.8 billion) request for an extra defense budget through March to expedite the purchase of missiles, anti-submarine rockets and other weapons amid rising concern over the escalation of military activities by China, Russia and North Korea. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae, File)
TOKYO (AP) — Japan's Cabinet on Friday approved a 770 billion yen ($6.8 billion) request for an extra defense budget through March to expedite the purchase of missiles, anti-submarine rockets and other weapons amid rising concern over the escalation of military activities by China, Russia and North Korea.
The request, still pending parliamentary approval, brings Japan's military spending for the current year to a new high of more than 6.1 trillion yen ($53.2 billion), up 15% from 5.31 trillion yen in 2020.
The Defense Ministry says its "defense power reinforcement and acceleration package" is designed to speed up deployment of some of the key equipment from the 2022 budget request. The goal is to beef up Japan's defenses against North Korea's missile threat and China's increasingly assertive maritime activity around remote Japanese southwestern islands, officials said.
Japan has also raised concerns over recent joint military activities by China and Russia near its waters and airspace.
A fleet of two Chinese H-6 fighters and two Russian Tu-95s flew from the Sea of Japan to the East China Sea and to the Pacific Ocean, triggering Japanese Self-Defense Force jets to scramble, Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi said Tuesday.
The budget request includes nearly 100 billion yen ($870 million) for the advanced version of PAC-3 mobile surface-to-air missile interceptors and related equipment, as well as cruise missiles.
Separately, more than 800 billion yen ($7 billion) will go to speed up the purchase of reconnaissance planes and equipment, including three P-1s, equipment for P-3Cs and vertical launch systems to be placed on two destroyers, to step up surveillance around Japan's territorial waters and airspace.
Japan has been stepping up defenses in its southwestern regions and islands, including Ishigaki Island, where a new military base with a land-to-sea missile defense system will be operational. Ishigaki is north of the uninhabited Japanese-controlled Senkaku Islands, which are also claimed by China, which calls them Diaoyu.
Tokyo regularly protests the Chinese coast guard's presence near Senkaku Islands.
The ministry also plans to build housing for ground troops on Ishigaki Island.
The combined budget for 2021 will be just over 1% of Japan's GDP, keeping its customary cap. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has said he is open to doubling Japan's military spending to cope with the worsening security environment.
The defense budget also aims to ease burden on Japanese defense equipment and parts suppliers that are struggling to maintain the country's dwindling industry, officials said.
The defense budget is part of a nearly 36 trillion yen ($316 billion) draft extra budget approved by the Cabinet Friday to fund an economic stimulus package focusing on COVID-19 preparedness and support for the pandemic-hit households and businesses. Some opposition lawmakers criticized Kishida's government for using the stimulus package to cover military spending.
Critics also say Japan, as the world's fastest-aging country with a shrinking population, should allocate more money toward health care and other services.
Japan's military spending and capabilities have grown continuously since former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe took office in December 2012, and has since risen by 17%. Abe's government allowed Japan's military to be more involved in international affairs by adopting a new interpretation in 2015 of the war-renouncing Article 9 of the constitution.


Notes Domino Platform - What is Notes/Domino and what is special about it?
In the last couple of month I did workshops with customers to check where they are with their Notes and Domino environment and what they are going to do in the future.
My part was to explain what Notes/Domino really is and why this is so different than other application platforms.
Based on my workshop and the presentation I put together a summary. If you want a copy of my German workshop slides, drop me a note.
The following gives you a high level overview of Notes/Domino which describes the basic architecture and some of the most important core features.
It is not a complete list of functionality nor describes all the details but it gives you an idea about the concept behind it.
There is an interesting new Forrester study "The Total Economic Impact™ of IBM Domino" which provides some additional background.
My summary is more a technical summary that gives you an idea about what is great about the platform.
And this is not including the new exiting new development options introduced in Notes/Domino 10 which we should look into separately.
When Notes was first released most of the core functionality was already in place and the core architecture never had to change because it was from ground up designed in a way that makes it very flexible, robust and secure.
Looking into the first memorandum written by Mitch Kapor you can already see the most important aspects and the core idea behind Notes --> https://app.box.com/s/lv7lm64d1gbvkwyzxdct9sqzavot2mh6).
Later there was a very interesting book published by Lotus Oktober 2000 which is still available. It describes the architecture and core components in a way, which has never been published before or after.
The foreword already describes the core idea behind the product in a few words.
"In 1989 Lotus Notes® made the world a little smaller.
Since its first release, Notes™ has enabled teams of people to work together, even when separated by great distances or when individual contributions are made at different times.
.. Notes continues to evolve innovative, new capabilities that support its initial core concept: Collaboration made possible through shared, secure, online databases."
Today we are used to work in shared teams in different countries and timezones but when Notes was first designed there wasn't a wide spread network that everyone could use.
I recall the times where our servers had modems and later ISDN cards to communicate. Times changed but the concept behind it is still modern and very powerful.
And when it comes to an integrated, rapid application development platform there is stil no comparable product on the market.
When we look into the basic concepts behind Notes/Domino we see a very flexible, document oriented. none-relational databases system (today you would name it "NoSQL").
It is a Rapid Application Development & Deployment platform with integrated development and run-time environment.
Thus extendibility, customization of functionality and design is part of the core product.
All of this has been designed into the product since day one.
The application is document centric with flexible fields and field types per document (including Richtext and MIME).
So you can have any number of fields of any type in any document. There is no fixed structure that limits you to a certain structure.
It is not the best choice for large number of often changing records/documents that have more relational structure.
But you can integrate via ODBC, JDBC and today with flexible Web-Services/REST services.
Notes/Domino separates UI/Design/Code and Data which is also still a modern approach.
Leveraging simple but very flexible and powerful architecture: e.g. "forms, views, folders, agents" you can write and extent applications flexible and in rapid application development style.
The NSF storage (Notes database) holds the design and data at the same time. Both use separated but very similar "note-types" in the database.
This makes easy to replicate among servers and clients. And this also helps to maintain the design leveraging "templates".
Notes/Domino supports XML since Version 5 and allows to export/import documents and also design elements!
The own client/server communication protocol "NRPC" allows transparent client/server access which allows you to work with the same database either on-line on a server or on a local instance "replica" of the database.
For that reason Notes/Domino has build-in replication for Notes databases between clients and servers with full local support for databases.
At the time Notes was first releases there wasn't any central directory.
So Notes/Domino invented an integrated directory containing information for users, groups, servers and other information.
Domino was one of the first products to support external access and sync via LDAP. And there are also other interfaces to access directory data.
Today integration with central directories like Active Directory is important. There are multiple options to integrate and sync and also for Single Sign On (e.g. SAML or Kerberos).
Out of the box you can open, edit and save back attachments with external applications like Office and other applications in any document.
In addition the Notes client offers optional MAPI support for Office applications for mail integration for local applications.
One feature that has been taken for granted by many users and developers is the integrated, performance optimized full text index for server and also local databases!
You can use it in any database and you can use it on Lotus Script. Java and also C-API level!
The tight integration with email and the private public key infrastructure allows to build flexible work-flow applications where you can digitally sign documents.
Tight integration means that all functionality is available in one application in contrast to other applications that need separate products to implement comparable functionality -- if other products support the same functionality at all.
In many cases you end up having multiple other application platforms depending on the solution you choose.
Since Version 8/8.5 Notes integrates with the Eclipse development and run-time environment.
This offered new integration points and application options while keeping all existing functionality from the C/C++ application platform.
At the time it was introduced this was a good idea. But using Eclipse was quite challenging specially from performance point of view.
Today we see a move away from this integration and we will probably see other client options soon.
The development platform (Admin/Design Client) has low footprint on normal desktop with local or server based applications.
One simple but very powerful part of the application platform is the formula engine which can be used in forms, views and folders to calculate information that is displayed or stored in the application.
This is is comparable to the @formula uses in spread sheet applications (no wonder looking into the roots of the inventors working on Lotus 1-2-3, Lotus Symphony and earlier products).
This is on one side a very simple but also a powerful and very effective way to process and present data.
From the very beginning Notes was design to be upward compatible!
So all functionality remains supported in a newer version without much modification needed.
A new version might come with a new On Disk Structure (ODS) which brings new database back-end functionality.
Clients and servers encapsulate the ODS details for the local NSF so even earlier clients can access servers with later versions.
Once you updated the client and server code you can simply update the ODS with standard tools/maintenance compact servertasks.
Updates -- even major releases -- are simple without data migration or export/import!
Custom applications usually work without or with little modification on new major release.
Standard unmodified applications are "just" updated via updated templates by the standard design servertask.
The client UI is consistent cross versions, even when new functionality is added.
But on the other side this means UI/design enhancements for your existing applications and application maintenance is often neglected because everything just works.
In fact many applications worked for years without any change. That's why nobody touched them even for UI modernization.
It took quite a while until IBM decided to implement JVM 1.8 in Domino and they implemented just in time before Oracle stopped supporting JVM 1.6.
An IBM JVM Team provides JVM based on Oracle JVM which is updated in every FP to the latest version available.
Flexible databases access with multiple levels is integrated part of the database design since day one.
- Execution Control List (ECL) for detailed controlled for signed application code!
- Since Domino 8.5 simplified Notes.ID management via "ID-Vault"
- New modern web interface for mail.
Domino supports native 64bit on all platforms.
64bit has benefits specially in virtualized environments because it allows better optimization if all components leverage 64bit architecture.
Larger memory support is also helpful for special applications servers like Traveler, specific HTTP work-loads or the IBM Enterprise Integrator.
Domino as an application usually does not need more than 4 GB RAM for a normal server configuration.
IBM put a lof of energy into I/O optimization. There fore not more RAM is needed by the application.
You would still can benefit on larger memory configurations where the OS will leverage the file-system cache (specially in virtualized environments).
But the existing code is performance and resource optimized and does not need more RAM on it's own like other applications do.
Leveraging DAOS officially supports 1 TB per NSF database. Usually for mail-databases attachments would cover 70% of the mail-data.
NIFNSF = Put view/folder index to a separate file (.ndx) → Maximum size of the .ndx file: 1 TB!
So when leveraging those technologies the physical limit of the NSF does not matter any more on server level.
In addition a single NSF file would only hold data for a single mail user or a single application. So the 64 GB is per Notes NSF.
On client side the 64 GB limit still applies because the optimization is not available in Notes 9.0.1.
But on the other side more than 64 GB of data in a single application on client side might not be the best idea.
Domino offers integrated archive functionality which would help to reduce data on the archive mail database or other application databases.
For Notes/Domino 10 the maximum physical database size is increased to 256 GB.
Leveraging Database Compression, DAOS and NIFNSF also helps your to optimized performance and helps you to reduce storage and backup space dramatically!
With Document/Design Compression you save additional storage space.
Domino Attachment and Object Services (DAOS) moves attachment data to a central store with one file per attachment (configurable threshold usually 256 KB generating NLO files with the attachment) where it is stored deduplicated.
In addition to deduplication and NSF data reduction you can store data on a NetApp or other technologies which allow deduplication on storage container level to further reduce storage needs.
DAOS also allows to reduce backup costs leveraging online, incremental backup. The NLO is only stored and backuped once per server!
A quite new feature introduced in Domino 9.0.1 Feature Pack 8 allows to store the index in a separate file for performance reasons and also to further reduce backup costs.
The separate file on disk allows optimized locking and the NIF index does not need to be backuped.
No SAN mirroring or special storage environment required.
A cluster replicator servertask is used for almost real-time replication.
Downtime is minimized downtime because maintenance is performed on each server separately and Domino clusters are operating completely independent!
A single databases can also be taken off-line. The key here is that Domino as a "service" is hight-available and the individual servers can be down for planned maintenance.
Ensures database consistence and performance for each NSF file.
Fast restart without fixup after failure (similar to journal file-system on Linux).
Translog functionality has been derived from DB2 functionality.
Outstanding, fully integrated diagnostic functionality for crash, hand, memory leaks etc.
NSD (Notes System Diagnostic) provides detailed diagnostic information for IBM to pinpoint and fix issues.
Automated diagnostic collection (ADC) after restart collects diagnostic data from client or server.
"Mobile First" is one of the important IBM strategic goals.
IBM Traveler as a separate, easy to install solution leverages the standard Domino server stack.
Today mail is commodity. Notes and other products support similar features compared to other platforms.
Replacing Notes as a mail-platform alone does not provide much benefit and has migration risks and costs.
Specially coexistence during the migration or with existing applications can be tricky.
The key benefit for Notes/Domino as a platform is unmatched rapid application development.
There is no easy way to migrate applications and if you end up replacing just part of the applications you have to support and pay for both platforms for a longer time period.
Alone the full integration of application with mail, calendar and contacts and workflow functionality is difficult to replace by one single product.
Customers migrating most of the times have to move applications to multiple platforms and write new applications.
Notes/Domino is stable, integrated, performing, high available platform.
It has good TCO as an application platform compared to other platforms. There is no single platform providing all functionality used by customers today.
In addition today offers Domino REST APIs to be more flexible and used in a micro-services landscape and can be even better integrated with other enterprise applications.
1Andy Brunner 11.01.2019 9:00:54 Notes Domino Platform - What is Notes/Domino and what is special about it?
Very good article. Thanks Daniel!
2Paul Withers 11.01.2019 14:46:11 Notes Domino Platform - What is Notes/Domino and what is special about it?
A wonderfully comprehensive list of features. As you mention, the good foundations are why Domino has endured. I'm sure many customers have forgotten so much of this because they just take it for granted. And Domino V10 has added more, with increased limits, gRPC, IAM, New Relic reporting, not to mention more robust clustering monitoring and maintenance.
3Uwe Brahm 11.01.2019 15:11:23 Notes Domino Platform - What is Notes/Domino and what is special about it?
4Daniel Nashed 11.01.2019 18:38:42 Notes Domino Platform - What is Notes/Domino and what is special about it?
Yes I left out the new features and want to present them separately.
Actually there are good IBM presentations about most of the new stuff from IBM!
Let me add just one detail about the "New Relic reporting". It's very customizable!
You can customize it with notes.ini settings and the only thing you need to deploy it are those notes.ini settings!
No no coding, no additional software just notes.ini settings. You point it to the target application of your choice and the server will publish the stats.
I have a blog post about it with a sample database with an agent that acts as a consumer of the stats to play with the stats.
5Wayne Scarano 11.01.2019 19:27:03 Notes Domino Platform - What is Notes/Domino and what is special about it?
I would mention in the security section about 2FA (something you have and something you know) with Notes IDs. MFA is all the rage now but in the 90s we had to fight with firms who didn't want to 'manage the Notes ID" because it was a hassle. Translation - security is a hassle but everyone agrees MFA is the standard. In the same vein I would mention how it was ahead of it's time.
Is MongoDB the first NoSQL? No, the first document database was Notes and because it WASN'T relational it was dismissed because it wasn't mainstream. Also, with the best replication engine ever invented it allowed the concept of not requiring a master/secondary (primary/secondary). Any copy was legitimate and useful for disaster recovery and lower latency (regional/local copies).
Because Notes abstracted us from a lot of tedious tasks you have to do on your own, it allowed for faster development. This is the same I'm seeing with Serverless technology (Cloud 2.0) and eventually 3.0. The cloud becomes the platform to build upon with abstracted services that are fully managed.
6Clemens Hagendorf 14.01.2019 14:34:14 Notes Domino Platform - What is Notes/Domino and what is special about it?
A very good overview. Thank you very much Daniel !
In this context, I come to a statement that I once snapped: Any migration away from Domino automatically causes coexistence with Domino.
7Patrick Kwinten 24.01.2019 10:40:42 Notes Domino Platform - What is Notes/Domino and what is special about it?
Java or JSF was the main language the last 10 years (XPages) but that hasnt been updated for years. Update it to the latest JSF and open it up for other JSF UI frameworks so Bootstrap does not has to be supported any more.
To summarize: the development capabilities need to be updated ASAP.
The Domino server and NSF are cool!
8Andreas Andersson 26.01.2019 17:03:32 Notes Domino Platform - What is Notes/Domino and what is special about it?
As the owner of a company who built notes applications since the early 1990s and still heavily dependent on IBM Domino I would say Dominos largest weakness today is the lack of developers out there, especially younger ones.


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On a Global scale the consumption of water is doubling every 20 years, a rate which is twice the rate of population growth rate. More than 97% of the world's reserves are salty water from oceans. Whereas out of the remaining 3% of fresh water sources on earth's surface, only 0.4% of the sources are accessible.
Globally more than 1 billion people lack access to safe drinking water. Currently nearly 1/3rd of the world's population lives in water stressed areas and this is expected to increase to 2/3rd by 2025.
In the Indian Scenario, the demand for drinking water is divided between the urban and rural populations, and comprises about 4-6% of total water demand. Due to the amenities of typical urban life, such as flush toilets and washing machines, people living in cities tend to lead more water intensive lives. Water CrisisThe urban population has doubled over the past 30 years, now representing 30% of India's total population and is expected to reach 50% of the total population by 2025.
The average distance that women in Africa and Asia walk to collect water is six kilometers.
Tens of millions of children cannot go to school as they must fetch water every day.
Currently 30% of the rural population lack access to drinking water, and of the 35 states in India, only 7 have full availability of drinking water for rural inhabitants.
Most people who live in rural areas demand less water for day-to-day living than people living in cities, and the majority of their water demand comes from agricultural need.
NITI Aayog June 2018 Report on India Water Crisis
Population growth is going to accelerate the water crisis in India, especially as more and more people move into the cities and become part of the middle class. Because the rivers are too polluted to drink and the government is unable to consistently deliver freshwater to the cities, many urban dwellers are turning to groundwater, which is greatly contributing to the depletion of underground aquifers. Rural citizens face a similar crisis.