Marcus Kolga, President Emeritus of the Estonian Central Council, had the privilege of participating in the award ceremony held at the US Senate in Washington D.C. on October 24. During the event, he expressed the Estonian Canadian community’s gratitude to Professor Cotler for his outstanding leadership and unwavering dedication to the defense of global human rights and the pursuit of justice.
Irwin Cotler's advocacy has played a pivotal role in the release of prominent political prisoners such as Nelson Mandela and Natan Sharnasky. Additionally, he has fervently fought against genocide denial and the alarming rise of anti-Semitism worldwide.
In his testimony before the Helsinki Commission the following day, Irwin Cotler warned US Senators and Congressmen about the escalating threat posed by the Russian-led axis of evil, which includes Hamas, Iran, and other authoritarian anti-democratic regimes.
“There is a metastasizing axis of evil,” he said. “Both in the cases of Russia’s criminal aggression in Ukraine, and Hamas’s criminal aggression towards Israeli civilians, these are the supreme crimes in human rights and international law.”
Cotler, alongside the Estonian community in Canada, have worked to advocate for the release of Russian pro-democracy and human rights activist Vladimir Kara-Murza
“The indiscriminate bombing of civilians and the use of torture, rape and kidnapping to terrorize them, is becoming an increasingly common among Russia, Hamas and their friends,” remarked Kolga. “We express our gratitude to Irwin Cotler for his tireless leadership and lifelong commitment to human rights and justice. We eagerly anticipate continuing our work together with him to advance these values and principles and to bring authoritarian terrorists to justice.”
Cotler, alongside the Estonian community in Canada, have worked to advocate for the release of Russian pro-democracy and human rights activist Vladimir Kara-Murza, who has been a good friend to the Estonian community. Together, they have advocated for human rights, the freedom of nations once oppressed by the Soviet Union, and the restoration of Ukraine's sovereignty.
Tragically, Kara-Murza was detained in April 2022 due to his criticism of the Putin regime and its invasion of Ukraine. He had previously been poisoned in 2015 and 2017 for his advocacy work. Currently, he is serving a 25 year sentence in a remote penal camp in Perm, confined to a 5ft x 10ft concrete cell containing only a steel bed and stool. He is granted limited exercise and is allowed to use a pen and writing materials for one hour each day, spending the rest of his time in complete isolation.
