Berlin (d.de) – To mark the 75th Human Rights Day, key landmarks in Germany are being illuminated in blue, the UN colour. The buildings to be illuminated include St. Paul’s Church in Frankfurt – the birthplace of German democracy – and the Olympic Tower in Munich. The campaign was originally initiated by the NGO Human Rights Watch. “These days, it is particularly important to show that we can only overcome war, crises and human rights violations together,” says Nesrin Thomsen from Human Rights Watch. Germany’s parliament, the Bundestag, has agreed to host a debate on the subject of human rights this coming Wednesday. All over the country, demonstrations and vigils will raise awareness of human rights and those who champion them, such as the Iranian winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, which will be presented on Sunday. Narges Mohammadi is in prison in Iran, where she has begun a hunger strike.
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is a legally non-binding human rights resolution of the UN General Assembly. It was proclaimed in Paris on 10 December 1948. It states, among other things: “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.” 10 December, the day on which it was proclaimed, has been celebrated as Human Rights Day ever since.