The White House Office of the Press Secretary Presidential
Proclamation -- Captive Nations Week, 2012 CAPTIVE NATIONS WEEK,
2012 - - - - - - - BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF
AMERICA When President Dwight D. Eisenhower first proclaimed
Captive Nations Week amidst an escalating Cold War, he affirmed
that "the citizens of the United States are linked by bonds of
family and principle to those who love freedom and justice on
every continent." Our world has changed dramatically since 1959,
but those unbreakable bonds endure. During Captive Nations Week,
America renews our abiding ties to all peoples who struggle to
claim their inalienable rights. From the Baltic Sea to the
Balkan Peninsula, once-captive nations inspired the world when
bold patriots stepped forward to regain their countries'
sovereignty and their citizens' dignity. Today, we see the same
courage in protesters who brave the line of fire to sound the
call for reform. We see the same fierce hope in those who defy
censorship and reach beyond a