[…] U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in a September 11 statement that “it is deeply significant that this Day was brought into being by countries which are themselves working hard every day to nurture and consolidate their young democratic foundations. When the International Conference of New and Restored Democracies, through its Chair, Qatar, put forward the General Assembly resolution proposing the Day, it sent a powerful signal to the rest of the world.”

[…] For students of human rights law, few opportunities can compare to an internship working at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) at The Hague in the Netherlands.
Maureen Abboud, who recently graduated from the Penn State–Dickenson School of Law, spent a semester in 2007 as an intern with the United Nations at the ICTY. The experience, she told America.gov, provided her with “a unique view of the various mechanics of international criminal justice.”

[…] Alyaksandr Kozulin appeared on television and denounced the corruption of the current Belarusian government. Now he sits in prison. “We need the help of the United States and the international community,” says his daughter, Olga Kozulina, who has been working for her father’s release since his imprisonment in July 2006. Kozulina sent her message via a video that was shown July 24 at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations in New York at a panel discussion called Courageous Voices: Speaking Out for Prisoners of Conscience.

[…] “The United States is not a safe haven for those who engage in violations of human rights all around the world,” says Julie Myers, assistant secretary for the Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). She told reporters at a July 30 briefing at the U.S. Foreign Press Center in New York City that U.S. investigative programs are ensuring these individuals face justice.

[…] Hill called North Korea’s extensive network of gulag-style prison camps “a scar on the Korean Peninsula” and pledged that human rights issues would be “riveted” to the agenda of future U.S.-North Korean talks aimed at normalizing relations. “The United States' dedication to improving the lives of the North Korean people will never wane and we will continue to seek all available opportunities.

[…] The United States believes Azerbaijan must improve its record of democratic governance and respect for human rights, according to a senior State Department official who visited the country in June.
“Azerbaijan’s progress on democratic reform is key not only to the strengthening of our bilateral relationship, but also to Azerbaijan’s own long-term stability,” said David Kramer, assistant secretary of state for democracy, human rights and labor.

[…] The Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted by the U.N. General Assembly on December 10, 1948, declares that everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression, freedom of peaceful assembly and association, and freedom of thought, conscience and religion. But 60 years later, Rees said, “There are still countries that hold prisoners who have done nothing other than to exercise their God-given and internationally recognized rights.”

[…] Senait Yohannes is the sister of Aster Yohannes, who is married to Petros Solomon. Aster and her husband have been imprisoned for years for their role in seeking political reform and implementation of the Eritrean constitution. Neither has been heard from since they were taken into custody, and the four children they left behind are being raised by their grandparents, according to Senait.

[…] A recent State Department report illustrates how North Korea essentially has been turned into a ruthless prison. It documented systematic killing, detention, and torture of those whom the regime dislikes. It described a vast network of political concentration camps, which hold an estimated 150,000 to 200,000 people. And it spotlighted a society where literally every one of the fundamental freedoms we take for granted — political speech, travel, religion, and assembly — is prohibited.

[…] But with some support and good luck, he is now able to extend a helping hand to children who have been pressed into combat.
At age 12, Beah lost his family when the rebel army, known as the Revolutionary United Front, attacked his town.
Running away from the carnage, he wandered the countryside for nearly a year with other frightened boys his age.
Finally, he and his little group happened into a government army base and quickly were recruited as soldiers to fight the war.

[…] The U.N. International Labour Organization (ILO) estimates that there are 218 million child laborers worldwide. Of these, some 300,000 are child soldiers, according to UNICEF. Child soldiering has been designated as one of the “worst forms” of child labor by the United Nations in the ILO International Convention 182, which was adopted in 1999 and ratified by 163 nations, including the United States. U.S. efforts to protect and aid these children have been vigorous and consistent, and many agencies are involved in the effort.

[…] The African-American historical experience will always be unique. But meaningful federal enforcement of the right to vote equipped black Americans with the tools that immigrants and other minority groups long have used to pursue -- and achieve -- the American Dream. In the United States, people who vote wield real political power.

[…] At a March 11 press conference marking the public release of the annual 2007 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, Rice said: “In every region of the world, men and women are working peacefully, and often at great risk to themselves and their families, to secure human rights and fundamental freedoms, to follow their consciences and speak their minds without fear, to choose those who would govern them and to hold their leaders accountable and to achieve equal justice under the law.

[…] In 1993 the Secretary of State strengthened the human rights efforts of our embassies by asking all sections to contribute information and corroborate reports of human rights violations, and there was a renewed effort to link mission programming to the advancement of human rights and democracy. In 1994 the Department of State reorganized the Bureau of Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs, renaming it the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor.

[…] These values are the basic endowments of all human beings, and the surest way to protect and preserve them is through effective, lawful, democratic governance. To be sure, no nation’s path to democracy is smooth or straight. Along the way, there are bound to be stumbles and setbacks. Even under the best of circumstances, it is not easy to transform democratic ideals into effective democratic institutions.

[…] Our laws, policies, and practices have evolved considerably in recent years, and we continue to strive to protect innocent civilians from attack while honoring our longstanding commitment to respect human rights and fundamental freedoms. As part of this effort, the United States submits reports to international bodies in accordance with its obligations under various human rights treaties to which it is a party.

[…] The government generally respected the human rights of its citizens, although there were problems in some areas. Despite extensive delays, the law and judiciary otherwise provided effective means of addressing individual instances of abuse. Lengthy pretrial detention, excessively long court proceedings, violence against women, trafficking in persons, and abuse of Roma remained problems.

[…] In every region of the world, men and women are working peacefully, and often at great risk to themselves and their families, to secure human rights and fundamental freedoms, to follow their consciences and speak their minds without fear, to choose those who would govern them and to hold their leaders accountable and to achieve equal justice under the law. These aspirations, though common to all of us, are unfortunately still denied to millions worldwide, often by their own governments.