Initiatives for China Joins the Annual Wreath Laying Ceremony
to Victims of Communism Memorial
Jun 12, 2015
On June 12th, 2015, Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation presents 2015 Truman Reagan Medal of Freedom to Guillermo Farinas Hernandez, Cuban human rights activists, and Alexandr Podrabinek, Russian human right activist. Initiatives for China, led by Ms. Adela Lan, Director of Planning, joins the award and wreath laying ceremony.
“It is our honor and privilege to present this award to Guillermo Fariñas Hernández and Alexandr Podrabinek,” said Marion Smith, Executive Director of the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation. “These two men come from different places, but share a tireless devotion to ensuring that future generations will live in a world free from the horrors of communism. With this award, we honor their courage and their continued commitment to the fight for basic human rights.”
“I consider this recognition not a personal one but an award to all Cuban citizens that have suffered the Castro dictatorship for the past 56 years. Thanks for not forgetting the thousands of Cubans that have been executed, jailed, tortured and drowned in the ocean trying to escape communism,” said Guillermo Fariñas Hernández.
“I am honored to receive this award, named for two courageous fighters against communist domination of the world. The Soviet Union may have collapsed, representing the failure of the global communist quest, but the Russian people and many others around the world sill live under repression today. I will accept this award as a reminder that the struggle against tyranny, under any name, must never stop,” said Alexandr Podrabinek.
The Truman-Reagan Medal of Freedom is awarded each year by the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation to those individuals and institutions that have demonstrated a lifelong commitment to freedom and democracy and opposition to communism and all other forms of tyranny. Previous recipients of the award include: Pope John Paul II, Vaclav Havel, Elena Bonner, Lech Walesa, Sen. Joseph Lieberman, Rep. Tom Lantos, Vaira Vike-Freiberga and other champions of liberty.
Dr. Yang Jianli, President of Initiatives for China, is one of the recipients of the 2013 award .
The Award Ceremony is followed by laying the wreath to commemorate all the victims of the Communism. The wreath laying event is participated by 24 embassies, incl. Taipei (Republic of China) Economic and Cultural Representative Office, and 26 Human Rights Organizations and NGOs. Initiatives for China’s wreath laying is led by Ms. Adela Lan, Director of Planning.
“The inscription on the VOC Memorial is devoted ‘to the more than one hundred million victims of communism’ but that’s just a conservative estimate based only on those killed directly by communism. If we consider the more realistic figures by including ‘victims’ who suffered a living hell under these regimes, then the total is many times larger. And let’s not forget the billions still governed by communist regimes to this day,” said Ms. Lan.
“To dismantle the residual cultural and psychological impact of their former communist state establishments, several post-communist European states have banned communism symbols, in order to denounce any associations with a genocidal system as evil as Nazism, for which all symbolic reminders are also banned.
However, right now, right this minute, such symbols of communism are still waving at the headquarters of the United Nations and in other parts of the world, flaunting a ‘rising super power’. And that is exactly why we come here today, not only to mourn for the victims of communism but also to pay tribute to those who bravely fought communism. We must not shirk our duties to end the remaining largest communist dictatorship. We, the Chinese people in particular must bear this in mind.”