Freedom House Mourns Passing of Democracy Advocate Bronislaw Geremek

Freedom House is deeply saddened by the passing of Bronislaw Geremek, former foreign affairs minister of Poland and an ardent champion of democracy and human rights in Central Europe. Geremek, 76, died in a car accident on July 13 in Miedzichowo, near Nowy Tomysl, Poland.

“Bronislaw Geremek was a tireless and eloquent champion of freedom who played a pivotal role in delivering his country from communist tyranny and later used his towering intellect and position of political authority to support emerging democracies in Europe and every region of the world,” said Robert Herman, director of programs for Freedom House, who worked with Professor Geremek on the Community of Democracies while serving in the U.S. Department of State. 

An accomplished academic and fearless opponent of communist rule in Poland, Geremek became one of the key advisors of the Solidarity trade union, a leader of the Solidarity delegation at the Round Table talks that led to the peaceful transition of Poland from dictatorship to democracy, and later a distinguished member of Poland’s first freely-elected parliament.

He served as foreign minister from 1997 to 2000 and in that capacity distinguished himself as Chairman-in-Office of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and was one of the driving forces behind the Community of Democracies, which sought to bolster cooperation among the world’s democratic countries to strengthen democratic institutions, processes and values around the globe.

Geremek hosted the inaugural meeting of high-level representatives from more than 100 countries in Warsaw in June 2000 and also was instrumental in the establishment of a parallel non-governmental gathering of the world’s leading democracy thinkers and practitioners.

“Those who are struggling for democracy and human rights in Zimbabwe, China, Cuba and other repressive societies can draw inspiration from this gentle, yet tenacious defender of freedom,” said Herman.
  
Freedom House is an independent nongovernmental organization that supports the expansion of freedom in the world.

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