On this day in 1948 the United Nations General Assembly endorsed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and its conclusion that, "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."
But today in Oslo, Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo's seat stood empty. He is in a Chinese jail. The Chinese government successfully pressured 15 nations to boycott the reception honoring his work for free speech and elections. The mission of Eleanor Roosevelt and countless others who worked tirelessly to make the Declaration a reality is not yet complete.
Let's remember what the Universal Declaration stands for and honor some of those dedicated individuals who have championed its principles.
• "After experiencing a prolonged period of human rights disasters and a tortuous struggle and resistance, the awakening Chinese citizens are increasingly and more clearly recognizing that freedom, equality, and human rights are universal common values shared by all humankind . . ." --From Charter 08, co-authored and signed by Liu Xiaobo
• "Where, after all, do universal human rights begin? In small places, close to home - so close and so small that they cannot be seen on any maps of the world..." --Eleanor Roosevelt
• "The cost of liberty is less than the price of repression." –W. E. B. Du Bois
• "True peace is not merely the absence of tension, it is the presence of justice." -Martin Luther King, Jr.
• "Freedom means the supremacy of human rights everywhere." –Franklin Delano Roosevelt
(Courtesey of http://www.humanrightsfirst.org)
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