[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 179 (Thursday, December 10, 2015)]
[House]
[Page H9215]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            HUMAN RIGHTS DAY

  (Mr. PITTS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of Human Rights Day.
  Sixty-seven years ago today, December 10, 1948, the U.N. General 
Assembly proclaimed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The 
Universal Declaration set out a common understanding of the fundamental 
human rights that were to be universally protected.
  Today, we recall the inalienable rights intrinsic to every human 
being. In many regions of the world, people continue to struggle to 
attain the most basic rights and respect for their basic human dignity. 
In several regions of the world, defenseless civilians face attacks by 
terrorist organizations and networks that seek to intimidate, maim, and 
kill in the name of a distorted theology.
  I join my distinguished colleague from Massachusetts (Mr. McGovern) 
and people everywhere in reaffirming our commitment to the fundamental 
rights and freedoms contained in the Universal Declaration, and urge 
all leaders to redouble their efforts to promote and guarantee them.
  I also want to thank the human rights defenders everywhere, who so 
often carry out their work at great risk to themselves and their 
families.

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