Today reminds us to remember those who rot in jails without a fair trial, due process, being tortured, maltreated and malnourished. For what?

Expressing a thought, an opinion, a belief.

How we treat each other is a reflection of the world around us, a manifestation of a sickness that expresses itself in the near constant drama of war and crisis.

That’s why human rights abuses are the thin end of a very big wedge. It’s a good time to read through the UN Declaration and spend a few minutes thinking about what it means to us as individuals.

And then please sign up as a member of Amnesty International wherever you live.

No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile.

The focus so far has been on freedom, equality and the application of the rule of law. But no article better enshrines the fear many people live with, namely that someone will come to your house and take you away.

Arbitrary arrest and detention are weapons of fear. They walk closely in hand with torture, which can be liberally applied in some dark, dank cell where no one is watching.

This is a weapon for crushing democracy and freedom. Countries like Burma continue to use it today to make sure their population is suppressed and bathed in fear.

When you go to bed tonight spare a thought for those who sleep lightly whilst waiting for the knock at the door.

All are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to equal protection of the law. All are entitled to equal protection against any discrimination in violation of this Declaration and against any incitement to such discrimination.

This seems to parellel Article 6. Surely all are equal before the law?

Well as we know that is not the case. Or to paraphrase Orwell, “all humans are equal, but some are more equal than others”.

Men and women for example are treated unequally in many jurisdictions. Sometimes it makes me wonder how they drafted this thing with a straight face. Did they actually believe it? Answers on a postcard please.

Everyone has the right to recognition everywhere as a person before the law

Of course they do.

The question is: what law?

A kangaroo court is a law of sorts. Or perhaps Sharia Law appeals? If you think stoning a woman to death is still an appropriate punishment.

Or perhaps you could be under “house arrest” for 13 years.

Yes recognition as a person before the law is important but perhaps not as important as the law itself and its application in a fair and open manner.

No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.

This has been one of the most debated and patrolled articles. The use of torture has been so widespread in times of war and terrorism that it has become government policy in many countries, just another extension of police and military processsing.

It probably falls under “does the means justify the ends” debate. Does torturing information out of a prisoner, which turns out to save lives, justify the action.

Abu Ghraib is an example of how it can all go horribly wrong. The US is not alone in taking whatever measures are needed to break or humiliate a prisoner.

There is no mention in the UNDHR of the responsibilities that come with the granting of rights. Clearly breaking the law is one of them and that would include waging terrorism or state sponsored war.

The Geneva Convention set the standard for treatment or prisoners in a more conventional theatre of war. But many political prisoners are routinely tortured and they may include prisoners arrested for any number of reason which may include terrorism, which these days cuts a wide swathe.

But when dealing with people who wish to kill and maim civilians (such as the 7/7 bombings in London) how far would you go in trying to extract information?

Is it justifiable under pragmatic grounds or should it just be ruled out? Does one take an absolutist perspective such as no death penalty or does one take a more relavatist or utilitarianist approach?

There are many differing views on this.

My personal view is that we should oppose torture. It just lowers us and keeps the fire of anger and hatred burning and quite frankly rarely achieves anything except to deliver more bad karma into the universe.

What do you think?

No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms.

This seems pretty obvious and to many the days of slavery would seem to be long past. Unfortunately that isn’t the case. The trafficking of people (modern day slavery) continues to happen on a global scale.

Not many countries are unaffected in some way by this hideous activity. It’s long past our historic notion of black slaves taken from Africa to the Empire and beyond. Today slavery consists of bonded labour, early or forced marriage, forced labour, slavery by descent, forced sex work and extreme forms of child labour.

None of it is pleasant.

It’s true that our economic system prizes cheap labour and so in a way encourages that drive. Certainly it makes one think about why and how this still happens? Certainly people look to escape poor circumstances and that can often lead them into the hands of traffickers of hope but deliverers of hell.

But wherever you are reading this from don’t think your country is immune to this. It isn’t.