Remarks by Mrs. Laura Bush at a "Conference on Cyber Dissidents"

Thank you all very much. Thank you, Jim [Glassman]. Thanks, everyone. Thank you very much. It’s great to see everyone here.

Thank you all for joining us today at this Bush Institute’s Conference on Cyber Dissidents. George and I are excited about the work of the Bush Institute, and this already is the fourth conference that the Bush Institute has produced. Jim just told you about the others, and both George and I know our whole crowd are looking forward to this discussion on freedom today. 

Human freedom has been a central policy concern for both George and me for many years. As President Bush said in his second inaugural address, “Extending the reach of freedom is the urgent requirement of our nation’s security and the calling of our time. History shows that governments that respect the rights of its own people are more likely to respect the rights of their neighbors.” Throughout his presidency, President Bush and I met with democratic activists, defenders of religious freedom and families of political prisoners. We’re continuing to do that at the Bush Institute. 

Earlier this morning, George and I met with several dissidents, ones that you’ll hear from today. These individuals show a courage and a determination that’s deeply moving, and their stories are an important reminder that tyranny and injustice cannot crush the spirit of freedom that’s in every life.

Unfortunately, the voices of freedom and tolerance face serious challenges around the world today. George and I believe that it’s vital that these freedom fighters around the world know that the people of the United States stand with them. Whether they raise their voices from the streets of Tehran or through a Facebook page in Bogota or from a political prison in Burma, we add our voices to theirs. 

For more than 20 years, Burma’s military regime has crushed peaceful dissent and jailed thousands of political prisoners. Aung San Suu Kyi, head of the National League for Democracy, has spent more than 14 years under house arrest since 1989. After facing trumped up charges and a farcical trial last year, she remains a prisoner today. Despite outrage from many nations, the junta persists in using captivity and isolation to silence the voice of Aung San Suu Kyi, but despite years of oppression, the people of Burma are steadfast in their dissent, inspiring the world with their grace and courage in the face of brutality.

Two years ago it was my great privilege to present a Vital Voices Award to Charm Tong, who had testified before U.N. officials at the age of 17, eloquently describing the systematic military campaign of rape and abuse that was being waged against women in Burma’s Shan state. She spoke unflinchingly, even though her audience included representatives of the very regime she condemned.

And I’ll never forget visiting the remote and crowded refugee camps on the mountainous border between Burma and Thailand. There I watched the tireless efforts of Dr. Cynthia Maung to provide lifesaving medical aid for hundreds of Burmese, many of them ill or injured and in desperate need. I’ve sat with victims of land minds who had lost legs or feet and who were waiting quietly, often for hours, for basic care. The families I met in the refugee camps wanted to go home, but because of the situation in Burma, they can’t. And because many of them have been refugees for so long, up to 20 years for some, they’ve begun to give up hope of ever returning home. 

That’s why the topics we’ll discuss today are so important. I hope you notice that the two people I just talked about, Aung San Suu Kyi and Dr. Cynthia Maung, are women. Women’s rights are human rights, and it’s very, very important, in many, many parts of the world today, that we focus on making sure that women have equal rights and can also contribute to their societies in the way that men can. Those who are struggling against tyranny and injustice need to know that they have support so they won’t give up hope. We want them to know that their stories are being told outside of their countries and that those of us in free societies stand with them.

Today you’ll hear first hand from individuals on the frontlines of this work. They’re champions for freedom and human rights, and we’re very happy that they’re here. We look forward to supporting them and many others through the work of the Bush Institute, and now it’s my pleasure to introduce a tireless advocate for freedom, my husband, George W. Bush.