Washington, DC – On June 10, 2016, the Hungarian American Coalition participated in the 9th annual Roll Call of Nations organized by the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation. Representatives of 20 countries and 27 ethnic and human rights groups gathered at the Victims of Communism Memorial to place wreaths in honor of the victims of Communist tyranny since 1917.
The Coalition’s wreath in honor of the victims
Dr. Lee Edwards, Chairman of the Foundation’s Board of Directors, emphasized the huge numbers of people who suffered and died under Communism or were forced to flee their homeland. He lauded those who resisted the tyrannical system, including those who continue to do so both in the affected countries and in the West. He emphasized that the threat continues: many countries in Eurasia and in the Americas remain under Communist dictatorships.
Dr. Edwards and Paul A. Goble, winner of the 2016 Truman-Reagan Medal of Freedom, emphasized the importance of educating future generations about the horrors perpetrated under Communism. Such education will foster greater understanding and support for those who have suffered under such systems, and help prevent their recurrence.
This year’s awardee, Paul A. Goble, is a longtime specialist on ethnic and religious questions in Eurasia, teaches at the Institute of World Politics, and serves on the National Advisory Council of the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation. Prior to his career in academia, he worked at the US State Department, the Central Intelligence Agency, and the International Broadcasting Bureau, as well as at the Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.