WASHINGTON—Representative Eliot L. Engel, Ranking Member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, today released the following statement:

“I was saddened to learn of the passing of the incomparable Russian dissident Lyudmila Alexeyeva.

“Lyudmila was one of the founders of the Moscow Helsinki Group in 1976. The Group was formed to ensure that the Soviet Union upheld its commitments in the 1975 Helsinki Final Act, which guaranteed basic human rights and freedoms. For over five decades, Lyudmila worked tirelessly and passionately to hold the leaders in Moscow – both Soviet and then Russian – to account. Often, she sacrificed her personal safety and security to champion human rights.

“Millions in the former Soviet space and beyond have benefited from Lyudmila’s staunch advocacy for basic human freedoms in the face of totalitarian and authoritarian regimes. Though she has died, her legacy inspires us all, and her spirit lives on in the hearts and minds of those who continue to fight for these freedoms in Russia and around the world.”

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