The Members of the U.N. General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on December 10, 1948 by an overwhelming vote of 48-0. The U.N. member nations approved the Declaration to prevent another Holocaust and the document has become the foundation of international human rights law. Eleanor Roosevelt chaired the committee to draft the Declaration.

In 2005, former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak made this statement after winning his fifth presidential term with an astounding 88% of the vote. The United States, among others, had called for international election monitors but Egypt rejected international oversight. Following the vote, Egyptian NGOs cast doubt on the freedom and fairness of the election in reports of ballot stuffing, voter intimidation and bribery. http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/54274.pdf

Article 11 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights guarantees: “the right to be presumed innocent until proved guilty in a public trial at which he has had all the guarantees necessary for his defense.”

In 2000, the Commission on Human Rights established the mandate on the Situation of Human Rights Defenders and created the position of Special Rapporteur to support implementation of the 1998 Declaration on Human Rights Defenders. Hina Jilani served as the first Special Rapporteur from 2000–08. In 2008, with resolution 7/8 and in 2011, with resolution 16/5, the Human Rights Council decided to continue the mandate on human rights defenders for consecutive periods of three years and appointed Margaret Sekaggya as Rapporteur.

Following Europe’s final execution in 1997, the European Union abolished the death penalty for all member states. As of 2010, 58 countries retain the death penalty, including: the United States, China, Bahrain and Iran.

Current legislation being considered by the Chinese People’s Congress would permit the government to “imprison in a secret location anyone who, under home surveillance is found to hinder an investigation. The law would require the government to alert the detainee’s family within 24 hours, unless doing so would hinder an investigation of crimes involving national security or terrorism.” International human rights organizations have accused China using enforced disappearance against Chen Guangcheng and other human rights defenders. Legalizing enforced disappearances will further the Chinese government’s assault on pro-democracy activists. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/03/world/asia/03china.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=chinese%20dissidents%20appear%20to%20disappear&st=cse

On August 2, 2007 candidate Obama stated: “As President, I will close Guantanamo, reject the Military Commissions Act and adhere to the Geneva Conventions. Our Constitution and our Uniform Code of Military Justice provide a framework for dealing with the terrorists.” He has yet to keep his promise––January 11, 2012 marked the 10th anniversary of Guantanamo as detention facility for suspected terrorists. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2010/07/obama-guantanamo.html

In 2003, Chinese President Hu Jintao made this statement in a speech to the Australian Parliament. Nevertheless, in 2011, the Chinese government continued its crackdown on human rights defenders and pro-democracy activists.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said this during an address at Columbia University in 2007 in response to student’s question about the execution of LGBT persons in Iran. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7010962.stm. Despite Mr. Ahmadinejad’s denial of their existence, thousands of LGBT Iranians face the threat of unfair trial proceedings and execution for engaging in “consensual homosexual acts.”

A Belarusian court convicted Mr. Konstantin Kaplin of applauding in public and fined him the equivalent of $200. Activists in Belarus use clapping as a form of peaceful protest. http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Europe/2011/0708/In-Belarus-one-armed-man-arrested-for-clapping