STEVE COHEN (UNITED STATES)

Steve Cohen was appointed Special Representative on Political Prisoners in July 2022. 

Congressman Cohen has been a member of the U.S. House of Representative since 2006, where he is the Chairman of the Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties. He is also a member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, House Committee on Natural Resources, U.S. Helsinki Commission and the House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee. 

MANDATE

• Report on the political imprisonment of individuals and their eventual release.
• Develop policy recommendations aimed at enhancing effective political freedom throughout the OSCE region.
• Coordinate closely with other relevant Special Representatives and with officers of the Third Committee.
• Promote inter-parliamentary dialogue as a means to advocate the release of political prisoners and to prevent additional politically motivated imprisonments.
• Work closely with OSCE executive structures and with relevant external partners on issues related to political prisoners to improve the visibility and impact of OSCE action in this field, in line with the OSCE\s conflict prevention mandate.