As part of the celebration for the 60th Anniversary of International Human Rights Day on Wednesday, I’m making this a week long holiday! And, today I am excited to tell you about another one of my favorite organizations, Human Rights First (we worked closely with the group for our film, Standard Operating Procedure, about Abu Ghraib.) Yes, the name is a bit ironic because shouldn’t human rights always be first? I know this is obvious, but unfortunately, it’s not always true.  Whether its sanctioned abuses by our government or others, Human Rights First (HRF) is leading efforts to stop these human rights abuses and hold perpetrators accountable.

I wrote yesterday about the work of Physicians for Human Rights to end US torture practices. HRF is also intimately involved in this work, though from a different perspective (and this issue needs to be addressed from as many angles as possible).  And, as always, they require your involvement to make these changes happen!

takepart to sign their petition, “I Do Not Support Torture.”  Join with thousands of others to ensure that the Obama Administration follows up on its campaign promise to close Guantanamo and end the use of torture.

Their “Prime Time Torture” campaign seeks to change how torture is portrayed in movies and television. Their documentation shows that torture is used much more widely now and that “good” American characters often engage in torture practices.  Instead, torture should be shown in a more nuanced light for what it really is and should not be shown as a patriotic tool.  takepart with HRF’s Prime Time Torture to find out how you can help to change the portrayal of torture in Hollywood.

The work of HRF is critical to renewing the founding values of our nation that ensure human rights protections. While these have been eroded over the past eight years by Bush Administration policies, I’m confident that the ongoing work of groups like HRF, in combination with the efforts by the American public, will help to fully restore our commitment to being a leader in protecting human rights at home and around the world.

(Photo: Steve Rhodes, Creative Commons)