Embassy of the U.S., Tallinn
Human Rights Day is celebrated each year on December 10, as this was the date of the United Nations General Assembly's adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) in 1948. The theme for Human Rights Day in 2010 is "human rights defenders who act to end discrimination." One such defender of human rights is the Chinese activist Liu Xiaobo, this year's Nobel Peace Prize winner.

As Secretary of State Clinton noted yesterday, "I witness small and large acts of courage every day in every part of the world. Liu Xiaobo helped author Charter '08 calling for peaceful political reform in China and lost his freedom for the cause. On this Human Rights day, I reiterate our call for his immediate release."

But, whether from peace activists in China or wives of political prisoners in Cuba, the tireless work and personal sacrifice made by countless individuals around the globe and the arrests and abuse they continue to endure is a testament to all that is good in the human spirit. On this day and every day, the United States stands with our democratic ally Estonia supporting human rights around the world with the goal of making the vision enshrined in the Universal Declaration a reality for all people.

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