NED Mourns the Loss of Former Congressman and Board Member Stephen J. Solarz

WASHINGTON, Nov. 30, 2010 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National Endowment for Democracy (NED) is mourning the death of former Rep. Stephen J. Solarz (D, NY), a leading voice in the Congress for strong U.S. engagement on behalf of democracy and human rights during his nine terms of service.  Solarz served on NED's Board of Directors from 1992-2001.

"Steve was that rare member of Congress who, by the sheer force of his intellect and personality, and the respect he commanded from our country's leading decision makers, managed to play a major role in shaping U.S. foreign policy," said NED Chairman Richard Gephardt.

"There was no more eloquent and effective advocate on behalf of every major democracy movement over the past three decades than Steve Solarz," commented NED President Carl Gershman. "From Solidarity in Poland to the anti-Apartheid movement in South Africa, from the 'people power' movement in the Philippines to those struggling to bring democracy to South Korea and Taiwan, 'small d' democrats knew that they could count on Steve to champion their cause."

Solarz, who was one of the earliest congressional proponents of the Endowment, received NED's Democracy Service Medal in 2001. While on the Endowment's Board, he played an important role in encouraging NED's support for NGOs working to advance the cause of human rights in North Korea.

NED extends its sympathy to Steve's widow Nina and the rest of his family.

SOURCE National Endowment for Democracy

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