Global Citizenship for Human Rights - Human Rights Heroes

  ABRAHAM LINCOLN (1809-1865) Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States during the American civil war which was fought from 1861 to 1865. Among American heroes, Lincoln continues to have a unique appeal for his fellow countrymen and also for people of other lands. This charm derives from his remarkable life story - the rise from humble origins, the dramatic death - and from his distinctively human and humane personality as well as from his historical role as saviour of the Union and emancipator of enslaved people. His relevance endures and grows especially because of his eloquence as a spokesman for democracy. Abraham Lincoln was born on 12 February 1809 near Hodgenville, Kentucky. He was brought up in Kentucky, Indiana and Illinois. His parents were poor pioneers and Lincoln was largely self-educated. In 1836, he qualified as a lawyer and went to work in a law practice in Springfield, Illinois. In the presidential campaign, Lincoln made his opposition to

  ITALIAN HUMAN RIGHTS FIGHTERS: RITA BERNARDINI Rita Bernardini, 68, member of the "Hands off Cain" association for human rights and fair justice. His commitment is to promote civil and human rights within Italian prisons. In particular for the respect of the laws on the conditions of detention of prisoners. Rita Bernardini has also always been committed to equitable justice in which the penalty was always aimed at the re-education of the prisoner and his reintegration into society. His method of political struggle has always been based on the Gandhian non-violent struggle. Rita Bernardini has conducted numerous hunger strikes to demand compliance with the laws protecting the human rights of prisoners.

  Krteček is chosen by our partner from Hungary: Kulturális Kapcsolatokért Alapítvány   In Krteček we trust! There are many that deserve admiration for influencing human’s rights. Some definitely get the recognition they deserve but there are also many that do not. One of the forgotten ones is also Krteček. And this is his story. Krteček (or Krtek) is a mysterious character known only from the ancient Czechoslovak Soviet cartoon sources. His appearance can be scary but do not get fooled, he is known to be more humane than many humans. Even though Krteček is not much of a talker, he is usually known to talk only through interjections – such as “hey, look, oh, hurray,” his actions say more than thousand words. Legends say that Krteček had to overcome many troubles throughout his life. Yet, he always succeeded with cunning and peaceful mind. Like the one time when Krteček got involved in a horrible car accident while getting seriously hurt. Not only he forgave the person th

  NATASA KANDIC (b. 1946) Nataša Kandić is a Serbian human rights activist and coordinator of the RECOM Reconciliation Network, founder and ex-executive director of the Humanitarian Law Center (HLC), an organization campaigning for human rights and reconciliation in the former Yugoslavia, focusing on the Serbian role in the conflict. Humanitarian Law Center (HLC) was formed in 1992. Natasha Kandic was born in 1946 in Kragujevac, in Yugoslavia (now Serbia). After finishing her studies in Sociology, she became a dissident under Tito and a human rights activist after his death. Natasha Kandic is considered the Simon Wiesenthal of the Balkans because she has systematically investigated the crimes committed during the war that followed the 1992 break-up of Yugoslavia, thereby enabling the Serbs responsible to be brought to justice. She was won numerous international awards and in 2003 she was defined a “European hero” by Time Magazine and in 2005 she was declared honorary citizen