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“NATIONAL DAY OF ACTION” FOR HUMAN RIGHTS TO KICK OFF WITH MASS TWITTER RALLY TODAY FROM 12:00P TO 4:00P EST

Advocates nationwide will join in call-to-action on behalf of critical human rights issues; rally will raise awareness around October’s U.N. Review of the

International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR)

For Immediate Release SEPT. 23, 2013 – ATLANTA, GA. – In commemoration of the “National Day of Action” for the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), the US Human Rights Network (USHRN) members and allies will hold a mass Twitter rally today from Noon to 4 p.m. EST to raise awareness around key human rights issues that the United States has continuously neglected to remedy or address.

During the rally, advocates across the country will tweet U.S. State Department officials, urging their participation in a town hall meeting with domestic human rights advocates to address its failure to fully implement the ICCPR and sufficiently protect and fulfill the fundamental rights and freedoms enshrined under the treaty. The proposed town hall would take place just prior to the United Nations (U.N.) convening on October 17-18 in Geneva, Switzerland, where a committee of 18 human rights experts will review the United States on its compliance with universal human rights standards, as required by the ICCPR.

“As we remember the execution of Troy Davis in flagrant disregard of human rights and his potential innocence, we are reminded of the work we need to do in this country to meet universally accepted human rights standards and laws,” said Ejim Dike, Executive Director of the US Human Rights Network. “The death penalty, solitary confinement, criminalization of homelessness, attacks on reproductive rights, and felony disenfranchisement are all examples of human rights violations addressed by the ICCPR. We hope the National Day of Action will help raise awareness about these and other human rights violations as well as the important organizing taking place around the country to realize basic human rights.” Ratified into law by the U.S. (and 166 other countries) in 1992, the ICCPR is a key civil and political rights treaty that offers a broad range of provisions designed to protect citizens and non-citizens from rampant human rights violations and abuses carried out at various levels of government and law enforcement. The treaty outlines some broad and fundamental rights that all Americans should enjoy, such as the rights to self-determination, to life, to found a family, to participate in the electoral process, and to due process and a fair trial. It also provides freedoms from torture, slavery, genocide, and freedoms of speech, expression, conscience, and religion. In addition to many more rights, it provides for equal enjoyment of these rights by women, men, children, and minorities

The review’s primary focus will be on a list of questions put together by the U.N. committee and shaped by members of the US Human Rights Network, which has been working to get full implementation of the treaty into domestic law. The results of the review will be shared in an official recommendation to be released two weeks following the Geneva convening. The review will be attended by key representatives from U.S. civil society organizations and the ICCPR Task Force, as well as everyday citizens who have suffered -- or are presently suffering – from the devastating effects of unchecked human rights abuses. Their core mission will be to underscore the United States’ failure to create an infrastructure for monitoring, tracking, and addressing human rights violations in an urgent and efficient manner, and to seek meaningful reforms and solutions to address ICCPR violations at the local, state and national level. “This review provides the Obama administration with an opportunity to revisit policies that violate human rights, and take concrete and effective measures to fulfill the United States’ international commitments,” said Jamil Dakwar, Director of the ACLU Human Rights Program and co-chair of the USHRN ICCPR task force. “During its upcoming appearance before the U.N. Human Rights Committee, we hope the U.S. will seriously address human rights concerns and implement recommendations to remedy them.”

Americans nationwide are encouraged to join in Monday’s national Twitter rally by urging their local, state, and federal representatives to take a stand in support of every person’s human rights. To participate, simply tag @USHRN using the hashtag #ICCPRTownHall in every tweet, along with links to photos, videos, articles, illustrations, infographics, or any other content related to human or civil rights.

For more information on today’s “National Day of Action” and twitter rally (including ideas for how to participate) please visit http://www.ushrnetwork.org/events/national-day-action-iccpr.

To read more about the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), go to http://www.ushrnetwork.org/sites/ushrnetwork.org/files/iccpr_fact_sheet_final.pdf.

MEDIA NOTICE: Key members of the ICCPR Task Force and citizens directly affected by domestic human

rights abuses, are available for media interviews upon request. Please direct all inquiries to Janet@pixelprosemedia.com or (818) 217-6799.

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ABOUT THE US HUMAN RIGHTS NETWORK (USHRN) The US Human Rights Network (USHRN) is a national network of organizations and individuals working to strengthen a human rights movement and culture within the United States led by the people most directly impacted by human rights violations. It is a network of over 250 organizational members that is working to popularize human rights in communities across the United States in order to secure dignity and justice for all. www.ushrnetwork.org.