Statement made on 09 December 2010 by Senator Mobina Jaffer
Hon. Mobina S.B. Jaffer:
Honourable senators, I rise today to urge you to support the motion requesting that the Senate of Canada recognize December 10 of each year as Human Rights Day, as was established by the United Nations General Assembly on December 4, 1950.
Honourable senators, for the last 60 years December 10 has been recognized as International Human Rights Day by the international community. It was on that day that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was first established 62 years ago, in 1948. The day of recognition and the declaration were the result of a number of visionaries such as Eleanor Roosevelt, Rene Cassin, P.C. Chang, Charles Malik and our own John Humphreys, among others. These individuals and many others had seen the destruction and suffering that World War II and previous conflicts had brought on the world and wanted to create a framework that would prevent any such disasters from happening again.
The declaration sets out 30 basic principles that provide inalienable rights to all human beings on the basis of being human. There is no discrimination; no one is exempt. As the preamble of the declaration proclaims, all humans are deserving of this equal and inalienable right, regardless of nationality, language or religion. No one is exempt from these rights. These rights are universal.
On December 10 this year, as has been done for the last 60 years, individuals from every walk of life will come together to celebrate the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and its accomplishments. Indeed, there have been many accomplishments. However, there are many abuses in this world and I want to highlight two specific abuses.
The first is the case of Bu Dongwei's release from a labour camp in China in July 2008, where he was serving a 30-month sentence in connection with his activities as a member of the Falun Gong spiritual moment. Bu Dongwei was working in Beijing for the U.S.-based Asia Foundation when police detained him on May 19, 2006. He was accused of resisting the implementation of national laws and disturbing social order. Police claimed that they discovered 80 copies of Falun Gong literature in his home, although his family says there were no more than eight Falun Gong books in the house when Bu Dongwei was detained.
As punishment, Bu Dongwei was put into "re-education through labour facility" in China. However, it was due to continuous support of human rights activists around the world, who pushed for his release, that he was freed four months earlier than expected.
Then there is the case of Birtukan Mideksa, the leader of the Unity for Democracy and Justice Party in Ethiopia. Birtukan Mideksa was first arrested on charges of treason following the elections in Ethiopia in 2005. Alleging election fraud, Birtukan Mideksa, along with other opposition politicians and parliamentarians, was charged with treason, tried and sentenced to life imprisonment. After nearly 18 months in detention, Birtukan Mideksa, was pardoned and released by the government, having negotiated an agreement and signed letters of apology.
In November 2008, Birtukan Mideksa spoke about the process that led to a pardon during a public meeting in Sweden. When she returned to Addis Ababa, the government demanded that she retract her statement. She did not comply and on December 28, 2008, she was rearrested in Addis Ababa. Shortly afterwards, the Ministry of Justice issued a statement revoking her pardon and re-imposing her original life sentence. However, it is as a result of international pressure from human rights groups and activists who respect her human rights that, very recently, Birtukan Mideksa was freed from prison after serving 21 months of her life sentence.
Honourable senators, whether the Universal Declaration of Human Rights has been used to promote the rights of free speech and peaceful demonstrations, as seen in the examples given, or the right to adequate housing in South Africa, or the right to equal employment in India, it has served as a catalyst for bringing freedom, equality and justice to all people.
We have reason to celebrate the advances on halting human rights abuses, but we all know there is still a lot of work to be done. Since the establishment of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the world has experienced numerous wars and genocides, where countless died; poverty rates have increased, not only in the Third World, but globally; easy access to food and clean water is still a challenge in some places; many girls still lack access to proper education; and issues of maternal mortality still prevail.
I named but a few problems the world faces, and each one of these problems equates to a human rights violation for an individual person. This individual is someone who is not being guaranteed the basic principles that have been promised to them. This is not acceptable.
I am sure all honourable senators are aware of Aung San Suu Kyi's recent release from arrest in Myanmar. However, what may be a lesser-known fact is that many of her supporters within the country are still being punished.
Su Su Nway, a member of the National League for Democracy, is currently serving a sentence of eight and a half years for taking part in political protests in 2007. Specifically, Su Su Nway participated in a street rally against sharp increases to fuel prices. She narrowly avoided arrest and went into hiding.
On September 13, 2007, when she put up an anti-government banner near the Yangon Hotel where the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights was staying, authorities arrested her. A year later, she was convicted of treason and offences that relate to damaging "public tranquillity," a charge commonly used to criminalize peaceful political dissent.
Su Su Nway is now serving an eight-and-a-half-year term in Hkamti prison, where conditions are deplorable. She is not receiving enough food or clean drinking water, nor is she receiving adequate medical attention. One media source reported in July of this year that she had been ill with malaria and gout. Furthermore, it is written that part of her punishment includes periods in solitary confinement.
On December 6, 2006, the Canadian organization Rights & Democracy honoured Su Su Nway with the John Humphrey Freedom Award "for her inspiring efforts to hold Burma's military junta accountable for its forced labour practices."
Su Su Nway is a prisoner of conscience, detained only for peacefully expressing her beliefs — a right guaranteed to her by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. She should not be punished.
Honourable senators, in our chamber we have heard a lot about this year's Nobel Prize winner, Liu Xiaobo. For years, Mr. Liu has been a prominent critic of the Chinese government, constantly demanding protection of human rights, political accountability and democratization within the country and for this he has repeatedly been punished.
Since December of 2008, Liu Xiaobo has been detained for co-authoring the document entitled Charter 08, which is a proposal that calls for political reform and democratization in China.
Liu Xiaobo is serving an 11-year prison term. We all heard the eloquent and articulate speeches of Senator Di Nino and Senator Munson about the suffering of Mr. Liu.
On Friday, Mr. Liu will be presented with the Nobel Peace Prize for his work in China. However, he will not be in attendance to accept the award. He will be in prison. It was expected that perhaps his wife, an activist herself, would be there to accept the award on his behalf. However, since the announcement that her husband had won the prize, she has been kept under illegal house arrest.
This year at the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony in Oslo, an empty seat will represent this year's highest human rights honouree. Honourable senators, I know that you will agree with me that we will all be in spirit with Mr. Liu Xiaobo and his wife.
Honourable senators, I can vouch to you that if it had not been for the Canadian human rights activists, my family and I would never have been able to leave Uganda. We arrived in Canada because of the work of human rights activists here. I believe that the work of human rights activists is effective. I believe that protesting to governments does work and I believe we need to continue to do this.
Honourable senators, it is true that there are many shortcomings with the human rights framework we currently work within. We have yet to perfect it. However, I believe that what we have now is better than having nothing at all.
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights has had great accomplishments thus far; however, as I have highlighted, we have so much more to do. It is with the participation of all Canadians that we can fulfill this achievement.
International Human Rights Day has been recognized by governments, organizations and individuals worldwide. They have taken action on this important cause. Honourable senators, today I stand before you and ask for your support. We, as a country, are champions of human rights around the world. I ask for your support in recognizing December 10 as Human Rights Day.