human rights

Arash and Kamiar Alaei are Iranian physicians whose lives and activities have been dedicated to honoring Iran.  Arash and Kamiar are experts on HIV/AIDS and have worked for many years on HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment activities in Iran and internationally.  

They have been detained by the Iranian government with no explanation since June.  We, people of faith and conscience, are looking forward to seeing Arash and Kamiar back with us as soon as possible. 

Physicians for Human Rights has created a petition calling for their release.  Please click here to read and sign the petition now.

The nexus of the coming summer Olympic Games and the weather catastrophes of recent months in China and Burma have opened a new window of curiosity and interest to the issues of Buddhism, Democracy, Globalization, Compassion and Spiritual leadership. Few are bettered positioned to provide insights than Iyer who met the Dalai Lama through visits with his father when a child and whose curiosity about the “East” has sustained him as a writer for decades, include frequent circlings through the presence of the Dalai Lama and Dharmasala.

Earlier today, I posted on FORpeace.net some initial information about the Fellowship of Reconciliation's sixth civilian diplomacy delegation to Iran, including the names of the participants and the first report submitted to us. A major challenge for the delegation while in the country was its lack of access to the internet.

Today marks the 60th (!) anniversary of the signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948.

According to Wikipedia:

When the atrocities committed by Nazi Germany became apparent after the Second World War, the consensus within the world community was that the United Nations Charter did not sufficiently define the rights it referenced. A universal declaration that specified the rights of individuals was necessary. Canadian John Peters Humphrey was [the principal drafter], assisted by Eleanor Roosevelt of the United States, Jacques Maritain and René Cassin of France, Charles Malik of Lebanon, and P. C. Chang of the Republic of China, among others. The proclamation was ratified during the General Assembly on 10 December 1948 by a vote of 48 in favour, 0 against, with 8 abstentions.

- Universal Declaration of Human Rights - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

But let's not just take their word for it. You'll find the text of what the Guinness Book of World records describes as "the most translated document in the world" after the jump...

I didn't manage to watch the Democrats debate on TV last night, but I noted in the Washington Post an interesting exchange about Pakistan and whether national security should trump human rights (see excerpt after the jump). I think that any view of "national security" that doesn't include human rights is short-sighted to start with.

The 3D Security Initiative does great work on this subject - their 3 D's are development, diplomacy, and defense - noting that "Security means freedom from fear and freedom from want."

If you haven't yet, please sign this petition from AVAAZ to Stand with the Burmese Protesters. On Thursday, we will participate in the International Bloggers' Day for Burma. And on Saturday, the worldwide vigils will continue. Find one near you at the Budddhist Peace Fellowship web site.

The Buddhist Channel has eyewitness reports of ongoing atrocities as monks are being jailed, tortured, and killed!