To All Living
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December 10th:
A Day for All Humanity
by Kathy Gay
ecember 10th is a very special day for those of us involved in
human rights work. On this day in 1948, the
General Assembly of the
United Nations adopted a document that has become
the most widely accepted statement of human rights in
the world -- the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights. To mark the anniversary date of the signing of
that document, each year people from around the
world observe December 10th as Human Rights Day.
With its core message of the inherent value of human beings, the
Universal Declaration of Human rights not only is the inspiration for
most international human rights law, it is the most important instrument
supporting the work of Amnesty International. Members and
friends from all corners of the globe will participate in candlelight vigils
on December 10th to commemorate the signing of this landmark
human rights document and to reaffirm its principles -- principles that
are just as valid today as they were 48 years ago.
December 10th is also special for another reason. That is the day that
the Nobel Committee officially presents the organization's Peace Prize
to the individual(s) or group(s) being honored that year. The Nobel
Peace Prize for 1996 has been awarded jointly to East Timorese
leaders Bishop Carlos Filipe Ximenes Belo and Jose Ramos Horta.
Bishop Belo has been an outspoken proponent of the rights of the
East Timorese people, in spite of harassment and threats directed at
him from the Indonesian military. Through his work with the National
Council of Maubere Resistance, Jose Ramos Horta has helped to
raise international awareness about the struggle of the Timorese
people.
In a press release on October 11, 1996, following the Nobel
Committee's disclosure of this year's recipients, Amnesty International
called the Committee's decision to acknowledge the efforts of Bishop
Belo and Jose Ramos Horta "an important signal of international
concern about human rights in East Timor that should be heeded by
the Indonesian Government and governments worldwide."
The press release further stated:
"Bishop Belo and Jose Ramos Horta have won this prize for their
efforts to find a peaceful, political settlement to the East Timor issue.
We shouldn't forget that countless numbers of their fellow East
Timorese have been killed, tortured or [jailed] for the same thing.
The human rights situation in East Timor remains extremely grave.
Arbitrary detention and torture are a fact of daily life. Disappearances'
and political killings remain uninvestigated and unresolved. A
long-term solution to the East Timor issue cannot be found without
tackling these human rights violations at their root cause -- repression
by the Indonesian Government and military."
The very first Amnesty International action presented here at
VegSource concerned a young man in East Timor who has
"disappeared." That action expires this Sunday, December 15. If you
haven't already done so, please write a letter on his behalf. This week,
VegSource presents a yet another action on East Timor.
Please click here to see this week's action.
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Kathy Gay is a vegan, and has been a member of Amnesty International for nearly 10 years, where she has worked on numerous campaigns. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area and is a business analyst for a leading California bank.
Kathy's column, To All Living Things, is a regular feature of VegSource On-Line Magazine.