*EPF107 05/05/2003
Asia Human Rights Advocate Dies Suddenly in Washington May 1
(Pelosi hails work of Human Rights Watch Asia's Jendrzejczyk) (500)

By Stephen La Rocque
Washington File Staff Writer

Washington -- Human Rights Watch Asia Washington director Michael Jendrzejczyk died suddenly in Washington, D.C. on May 1.

Jendrzejczyk, a frequent witness on Capitol Hill about human rights abuses in the Asia-Pacific region and the fate of dissidents in authoritarian and communist countries, had worked for Human Rights Watch for more than a decade.

Representative Nancy Pelosi (Democrat of California), the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, called Jendrzejczyk's death "a staggering loss to human rights work around the world and a deep personal loss to me."

He made "extraordinary contributions to promoting universal human rights and freedoms in so many places -- China, North Korea, East Timor, Indonesia -- it's difficult to count them all," Pelosi, who worked with Jendrzejczyk for many years on human rights issues, said in a May 2 news release.

Pelosi, who maintains a web page on human rights in China on her official congressional web page, added: "We can point to famous dissidents who have been released from prison because of Mike, but there are tens of thousands of ordinary people, whose names we will never know, whose lives were improved by his work."

"I hope it is a comfort to his wife, Janet, and his family that so many people share their loss and are praying for them at this sad time," the long-time friend of Jendrzejczyk went on.

State Department Deputy Spokesman Philip Reeker in a May 2 statement honored the passing of the human rights activist.

"It is with shock and sorrow that we heard the news of the tragic and
sudden death yesterday of Mike Jendrzejczyk of Human Rights Watch," Reeker said.

"Mike was a deeply respected, valued friend and colleague in many
enterprises over the years," he added. "Many of us in the Department frequently reached out to Mike for his insights and perspectives on human rights conditions around the world, and for a quiet helping hand in efforts to get many imprisoned
dissidents out of harm's way and resettled in the United States."

Jendrzejczyk, Reeker continued, "adhered to his vision, to his ideals, and
to his word. He was a person of absolute integrity. He will be very
sorely missed by his many friends in the Department of State. His
energy, good works and dedication to the cause of human rights will
long be remembered."

Obituaries in the New York Times and the Washington Post cited Jendrzejczyk's work with dissidents from countries ranging from Burma to Indonesia to China.

The New York Times obituary quoted Harold Hongju Koh, the former assistant secretary of state for human rights in the Clinton administration, who said Jendrzejczyk was "one of those happy warriors who never let you forget that you are holding a job not for personal gain but for the betterment of American policy."

Jendrzejczyk was 53.

(The Washington File is a product of the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)

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