Washington, 22 July 1997 (RFE/RL) - U.S. President Bill Clinton says that while the ranks of free and democratic nations have grown dramatically, too many others are still held hostage by tyranny.
Clinton's comments came in a proclamation he issued marking this week as Captive Nations Week in the United States. The presidential proclamation of Captive Nations Week is a tradition begun in the U.S. in 1959.
In his published remarks, Clinton said that while countries such as Poland, Romania and Estonia are no longer among the ranks of captive nations, others live under repression. He said that even as the wave of freedom sweeps across the former communist countries of Europe and the former Soviet Union, there are still governments that hold power through terror, repression and exploitation.
Clinton called on Americans to reaffirm their commitment to the ideals of freedom and justice and to speak out for those who have no voice.