American Embassies to open doors to civil society activists - Hillary Rodham Clinton

In her statement on this year’s human rights day, US secretary of state, Hillary Rodham Clinton, says she witness small and large acts of courage every day in every part of the world like Liu Xiaobo, this year’s Nobel Peace Prize winner, who helped author Charter '08 calling for peaceful political reform in China and lost his freedom for the cause. On this occasion Mrs Clinton, reiterated her country’s call for Liu’s immediate release as well as other civil rights activists.

By Yemti Harry Ndienla

The US secretary of state brought up the cases of groups and individuals elsewhere in the world including; the group Damas de Blanco which faced harassment and intimidation while advocating for the release of political prisoners, focusing international attention on Cuba’s poor human rights record, and Magodonga Mahlangu and her organization, Women of Zimbabwe Arise, who suffer arrests and abuse as they continue working to empower women to mobilize and take non-violent action against injustice.

To her, Citizen Heroes from all walks of life draw strength and hope from the promise that every country in the world has made in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. “The work of these activists to “reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person,” and their courage to persist is a testament to all that is good in the human spirit.”

Civil society is composed of the totality of voluntary civic and social organizations and institutions that form the basis of a functioning society, as distinct from the force-backed structures of a state (regardless of that state's political system) and commercial institutions of the market. The theory of the legal state considers the equality of state and civil society as its most important characteristic. Being a civil society activist entails courage, love and dedication to a particular fight. But for some reasons activists face human rights abuse by ruthless governments in most part of the world.

Though a vibrant civil society is an essential component of free nations, the US secretary of state noted with regret that many governments around the world continue to employ intimidation, questionable legal practices, restrictions, detention, and willful ignorance to silence the voices of those who defend human rights.

While maintaining her country’s commitment to promoting and defending civil society around the world the number one US diplomat made it clear that her country will continue to remind leaders of their responsibilities to their citizens under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. To support this “I have asked our embassies to open their doors to civil society activists today to listen to their concerns and demonstrate our support.”

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was presented to the UN General Assembly by Eleanor Roosevelt (Chairperson of the commission), and on December 10, 1948, the world moved to recognize and protect the equal and inalienable rights of all people, inspiring individuals around the globe to claim the rights that are our common heritage. Human rights are "rights and freedoms to which all humans are entitled". The Declaration has long served as a beacon to those seeking the protection of fundamental, internationally recognized rights and liberties.

Proponents of the concept usually assert that everyone is endowed with certain entitlements merely by reason of being human. Human rights are thus conceived in a universalist and egalitarian fashion. Such entitlements can exist as shared norms of actual human moralities, as justified moral norms or natural rights supported by strong reasons, or as legal rights either at a national level or within international law.

“Sixty-two years after Eleanor Roosevelt laid out those clear, inviolate principles, we again stand upon a threshold as the need to support and defend civil society has taken on renewed urgency. Today, and every day, the United States stands with those committed to making the vision enshrined in the Declaration a reality for all people. We call on every nation to join us in working to fulfill the Declaration’s promise, at home and abroad”, Ms Clinton, appealed.

But Hillary Clinton came short of mentioning Cameroon, where veteran activist – Bernard Njonga, is under fire by the repressive regime of President Paul Biya, for fighting corruption in government and particularly the agricultural sector. Njonga, and some members of his group - Ctizen Association for The Defense of Collective Interest (ACDIC) are serving suspended sentences as technique by government to keep them away from serving the people of Cameroon