Today is International Human Rights Day 2007, and we are in the 60th year since the original signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948.
The Declaration begins:
Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world,
Whereas disregard and contempt for human rights have resulted in barbarous acts which have outraged the conscience of mankind, and the advent of a world in which human beings shall enjoy freedom of speech and belief and freedom from fear and want has been proclaimed as the highest aspiration of the common people,
Whereas it is essential, if man is not to be compelled to have recourse, as a last resort, to rebellion against tyranny and oppression, that human rights should be protected by the rule of law…
Fast forward from 1948 to 2007 and I don’t need to tell you the many violent and more insidious ways in which the rights of our human family are being eroded, religious and political freedoms curtailed.
Perhaps most frighteningly in the Land of the Free, where waterboarding is apparently not torture, and the Thought Crime Bill will probably pass into law soon. And in the United Kingdom there is huge concern about the introduction of compulsory ID cards which will contain biometric data. The implications for mass surveillance are startling. The Guardian has a good debate here, with links, on the erosion of our freedoms.
Irene Khan, Secretary General of Amnesty International, has written an excellent article to mark International Human Rights Day. She writes of the atrocities in Darfur, Zimbabwe, Myanmar and elsewhere. She ends:
As citizens of the world
- We believe human rights abuses anywhere are the concern of people everywhere.
- We pledge to harness the power of individuals to galvanize action for justice and equality for all.
- We are outraged at the betrayal of our leaders, and are determined to hold them to account.
- We commit ourselves to creating a global culture in which every person can realise their human rights.
- We will carry the message of hope of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to every region of the world in the 60th anniversary year.
Amen.
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