Roberto Montella and Alcee Hastings, Washington DC, 4 February 2020COPENHAGEN, 6 April 2021 – Former OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President Alcee L. Hastings, a United States Congressmember from the state of Florida, has passed away. He was 84.

After hearing the news today, OSCE PA President Peter Lord Bowness, Secretary General Roberto Montella and Deputy Secretary General Gustavo Pallares issued statements of condolences to Mr. Hastings’ family and expressions of gratitude for his service and commitment to the Parliamentary Assembly.

“As a longstanding Member of the U.S. Delegation to the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, as our President, and as Special Representative on Mediterranean Affairs, Congressman Hastings inspired generations of OSCE parliamentarians by championing the Helsinki Principles at home and abroad,” said President Bowness today. “I would hope that our Members will endeavour to carry on his legacy to promote interparliamentary dialogue, to protect human rights, to protect civil society, and to empower women and youth. My deepest sympathies go to Congressman Hastings’s family and friends, his colleagues in the Helsinki Commission, and the numerous staff who have had the opportunity to work with him.”

“Alcee Hastings was a tireless fighter for democracy, human rights, peace and justice,” said Secretary General Montella. “He was an unparalleled example of humanity, professionalism, competence and dignity – a man whose legacy is the pursuit of the highest moral and political standards, the symbol of what I define as a ‘Politician with a capital P,’ who devoted his life to the common good and to the best interest of the people he represented. May he rest in peace.”

Deputy Secretary General Pallares, who served as Presidential Advisor to Mr. Hastings when he was President of the OSCE PA from 2004-2006, said: “There are few people who have shown as much dedication to the principles of the OSCE as my good friend Mr. Alcee Hastings. I was always impressed by his passion, commitment and expertise on international affairs, which were on display even in recent years as he battled against cancer. He will be sorely missed and my heartfelt condolences go out to his family as they deal with this loss.”

Alcee Hastings addresses the OSCE PA Winter Meeting, 25 February 2011Alcee Hastings first attended an OSCE PA meeting in 1996, at the Stockholm Annual Session. He attended 16 Annual Sessions altogether, plus 12 Winter Meetings, nine Autumn Meetings and two Spring Seminars for a total of 39 meetings. He served as Rapporteur of the Committee on Political Affairs and Security from 1997-1999, Vice-Chair of the committee from 1999-2000, and Chair from 2000-2001. He was elected OSCE PA Vice-President in 2001, a position he held until being elected President at the 2004 Annual Session in Edinburgh. He was re-elected at the 2005 Annual Session in Washington, DC.

He then served as OSCE PA President from 2004-2006, President Emeritus from 2006-2008 and Special Representative for Mediterranean Affairs from 2007-2014. The last meeting he attended was the 2020 Winter Meeting. He participated in eight election observation missions, serving as leader of four.