2.3 Billion People Repressed, Routinely Denied The Most Basic Human Rights

[NATO AIR]

very sobering, we should always remember the revolution we began in 1776 has not yet swept through the rest of the world the way we may have wished it would by now. We still have a long way to go but we've made some incredible strides in over 225 years.

we should never forget the 2.3 billion people who do not enjoy anything close to the incredible blessings we have in this great nation. in our own, small but important way, we should do the best we can to help them however we can.

this is why we cannot let putin steal ukraine's elections
this is why we cannot let castro use our sanctions as an excuse for his murderous leadership
this is why we should not stand silent as china, ruthless and oppressive as ever, supports tyranny in burma, north korea and within its own borders
this is why we can not let terrorists win in iraq and afghanistan, nor terror supporters in syria, iran and the palestinian territories
this is why we cannot let genocide reign in darfur, nor oppression in zimbabwe

http://www.freedomhouse.org/media/pressrel/120904.htm

PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Michael Goldfarb
212-514-8040 x12

WORLD'S REPRESSED HONORED ON HUMAN RIGHTS DAY

NEW YORK , December 9, 2004 -- Freedom House will commemorate International Human Rights Day by recognizing the more than two billion people throughout the world living under repressive regimes and lacking basic freedoms.

International Human Right Day falls tomorrow, Friday, December 10.

According to Freedom House's annual global survey of political rights and civil liberties, Freedom in the World, 2.3 billion people live in countries rated Not Free and are routinely denied the most basic rights. The survey is available online at: www.freedomhouse.org/research

"While freedom and democracy have made inexorable gains worldwide over the last several years, nearly 40 percent of the global population does not currently enjoy the rights and liberties so many of us take for granted," said Freedom House Executive Director Jennifer Windsor. "We must honor the oppressed peoples of the world, and recommit ourselves to advocate on their behalf today and every day."

Among the many victims of human rights abuses throughout the world, Freedom House calls attention to:

The people of Central Asia, who have yet to benefit from open and transparent governance, and who continue to suffer from torture and other abuses in places like Uzbekistan;

Jailed, peaceful dissidents in Cuba, whose only crime was advocating for democracy and human rights;

The people of Darfur, Sudan, dying by the tens of thousands in a government-backed campaign of murder and forced displacement;

Aung San Su Kyi, who continues to languish under house arrest in Burma for promoting democracy and human rights in a country brutally repressed by a military junta;

The starving and increasingly destitute people of Zimbabwe, whose leader, Robert Mugabe, tightens his iron grip on power while his country slips further into penury and fear;

The long-suffering people of North Korea, locked in a police state where thought control pervades every aspect of daily life.

Freedom House also honors those who are today beginning to taste freedom, such as the citizens of Ukraine, who, through peaceful civic action, are standing up to electoral fraud and demanding that their right to free and fair elections be upheld.

"The people of Ukraine and others bravely advocating for democracy are on the front-lines in the struggle for freedom. They deserve to be recognized on International Human Rights Day," said Ms. Windsor.

Freedom House also calls on the United States government to continue to implement its commitments to promote democracy and freedom, especially in an age of global terrorism. However, free societies also have a special responsibility to adhere to the highest standards of human rights and rule of law while addressing today's challenges.

"It is vital that the United States work to promote democracy and human rights by setting the best example possible for those seeking change in their own countries," said Ms. Windsor.

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