For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
December 9, 2002
Human Rights Day, Bill of Rights Day, and Human Rights Week, 2002
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
America's commitment to individual freedom and democracy provides
the foundation for our society. As a Nation, we cherish the values of
free speech, equal justice, and religious tolerance, and we steadfastly
oppose the forces of cruelty, injustice, and tyranny. Since the
founding of our country, the Bill of Rights has served to guide our
people and our Government to ensure basic human rights and liberties.
The United States is a country where all citizens have the opportunity
to voice their opinions, practice their faith, and enjoy the blessings
of freedom.
Today, countless people around the world cannot exercise their
basic human rights. America has pledged to support all individuals who
seek to secure their unalienable rights. Across the globe, we will
continue to stand with those who fight for fundamental freedoms,
whether they be democracy activists in Cuba, university faculty and
students in Iran, opposition leaders in Zimbabwe, journalists in
Belarus, or the people of North Korea who have never known freedom. We
are leading a coalition of more than 90 nations to defeat terror and to
secure liberty and opportunity for people throughout the world. Our
fight against oppression demonstrates our Nation's dedication to a
future of hope and understanding for all people. One year after the
liberation of Afghanistan from the clutches of terror and tyranny, we
are helping the Afghan people build institutions of democracy and
tolerance that are essential to the country's future stability,
security, and prosperity. And I hope the brave people of Iraq will
soon realize their own dreams of peace and freedom.
In commemorating Human Rights Day, Bill of Rights Day, and Human
Rights Week, we renew our pledge to uphold the vital principles of
freedom, equality, and opportunity that have made our Nation strong.
By working together to advance the rights of all people, we help to
build mutual trust and peace for all individuals across this land and
around the world.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States
of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution
and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim December 10, 2002, as
Human Rights Day; December 15, 2002, as Bill of Rights Day; and the
week beginning December 10, 2002, as Human Rights Week. I call upon
the people of the United States to honor the legacy of human rights
passed down to us from previous generations and to resolve that such
liberties will prevail in our Nation and throughout the world.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this ninth day of
December, in the year of our Lord two thousand two, and of the
Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and
twenty-seventh.
GEORGE W. BUSH
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