Human rights "went viral" in 2011 thanks to internet – UN officialDecember 10, 2011 - 11:19 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Human rights "went viral" in 2011 thanks to the exponential growth of social media on the Internet, the UN rights commissioner said Friday, December 9. "2011 has been an extraordinary year for human rights (thanks to) the dynamic and irrepressible surge of social media," Navi Pillay said. "Although we must mourn the lives of many ... we also have cause to celebrate," Pillay said in a statement ahead of International Human Rights Day, observed Saturday. "In Tunis and Cairo, Benghazi (Libya) and Dara'a (Syria), and later on - albeit in a very different context - in Madrid, New York, London, Santiago and elsewhere, millions of people from all walks of life have mobilized to make their own demands for human dignity," she said. "In sum, in 2011, human rights went viral," Pillay said. "The results have been startling.... We have already seen peaceful and successful elections in Tunisia and, earlier this week, in Egypt - where the turnout for the first truly democratic elections there for decades has exceeded everybody's expectations, despite the shocking upsurge in violence in Tahrir Square," she said. "Governments no longer hold the ability to monopolize the dissemination of information and censor what it says.... Wherever it happens, you can now guarantee it will be tweeted on Twitter, posted on Facebook, broadcast on YouTube, and uploaded onto the Internet," Pillay said. For International Human Rights Day she exhorted "everyone, everywhere" to join the Commission's social media campaign "to help more people know, demand and defend their human rights. The campaign on Facebook/Twitter and their Chinese equivalent Weibo is aimed at making people aware of the articles of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights. As of Friday, these pages had received eight million visits, including more than six million on Weibo, according to the United Nations. "It is a campaign that should be maintained so long as human rights abuses continue," Pillay said, AFP reported. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Mirzoyan says meeting with Bayramov was “constructive” At the moment, Ararat Mirzoyan said, there is no basis for additional comments. OSCE vows support for Armenia “in all three directions of security” Achieving stable peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan remains a priority of the OSCE, said Ian Borg. 151 detained as civil disobedience campaigns continue in Yerevan Citizens have been blocking streets in the Armenian capital, demanding Nikol Pashinyan’s resignation. France welcomes Armenia-Azerbaijan meeting in Almaty France has welcomed the new round of negotiations between the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan. |