Thor Halvorssen Mendoza is a leader in human rights of modern times, but the founding principles on which he based his group, the Human Rights Foundation, extend back to the Carter Era. "The HRF is structured around the ICCPR or International Covenant on Civil and Protective Rights of 1976," notes Halvorssen. Just what is the ICCPR and how does it impact today's human rights movement?

The High Price of Human Rights Activism

Thor Halvorssen Mendoza, on the web at https://tthoro.files.wordpress.com/2010/06/thor_halvorssens_response.pdf , has been a controversial figure for a number of years. Because his group targets human rights violations across the globe, he has become the target for many negative reactions by various groups. However, as his biography in the Huffington Post at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/thor-halvorssen/ points out, Halvorssen has a deeply personal interest in the human rights issue. Both of his parents suffered for their activities in the human rights field, with his father having been imprisoned in Venezuela and his mother shot during a political protest.

Labeled a "champion of the underdog and the powerless," Thor Halvorssen, seen at http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1812816/ , makes little distinction in who he helps. He began advocating for human rights in 1989 in London when he organized opposition to apartheid in South Africa, and founded the New York-based Human Rights Foundation in 2004. To date, the organization has secured the release of seven prisoners, submitted amicus briefs in major human rights cases and published two books on the rights and responsibilities of governments to their people. "Wherever there are human rights violations and people who are being beaten, battered, raped, tortured or murdered, that is where our work lies," says Halvorssen. "It does not matter to us what their political or religious affiliations are or what their race, ethnicity or gender is. It is enough that they are humans and deserve the same rights as others."

Mr. Halvorssen is also the founder and CEO of the Oslo Freedom Forum and Patron of the Prague-based Children’s Peace Movement; On Own Feet.

Why ICCPR?

Any group needs an idea around which to coalesce, and for Halvorssen this was the 1976 agreement adopted by the United Nations' Human Rights Commission, known as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. "This is the most comprehensive human rights document written to date and adopted by the majority of the governments in the world," notes Halvorssen. "Because this document embodied the ideals and principles that we support, we took it as our foundational and organizing strategy."

The ICCPR consists of 53 articles that outline the basic human rights that shall be afforded to everyone by the countries that agree to it. These include effective remedies for rights violation, the right to economic and political freedom, and the right to be free from fear of genocide or other atrocities such as slavery.

While most of the countries of the Western world quickly adopted the ICCPR, some other countries have been slow to adopt these measures, largely due to dictatorships or other forms of government that depend on keeping the population enslaved. "We believe that our work exists in the area in which the rights of the government overshadow the basic rights of the population. In countries that refuse to adopt the ICCPR or clearly violate its statutes, we find our most important cases."

How Does HRF Uphold the ICCPR?

The Human Rights Foundation has been fighting for more than a decade to uphold the principles of the ICCPR. Unlike some organizations, the HRF is not based on charitable or religious principles, although HRF workers may distribute needed aid or assist those who do in certain situations. Instead, the HRF focuses on the human rights issues and legalities surrounding political prisoners and works to ensure that they are protected.

"Many of the cases on which we have worked involved those who had been imprisoned for their beliefs or for their political affiliations," notes Halvorssen. "HRF works to ensure that these individuals are treated fairly and in accordance with the ICCPR. This is often a long and protracted battle when the person in question is being held by a government that refuses to acknowledge the importance of the principles of the ICCPR."

However, Halvorssen and his team seem to be up for that battle. In the relatively short time the group has existed, they have managed to work to free numerous political prisoners. However, what may be their most important accomplishment is focusing the world's attention on these situations and ensuring that the countries that are violating the ICCPR have no opportunity to do so while hidden in the shadows.

"When you bring these situations out into the light, you find that people become motivated to support change," notes Halvorssen. "The most powerful weapon that the abusers have in their power is the ability to operate unseen. Once people realize what they are doing, there is often an outpouring of anger and disgust that can motivate governments to release prisoners that would otherwise be forgotten."

For more information on Thor Halvorssen Mendoza and the Human Rights Foundation, visit the group's website. To find out how to become involved in human rights issues, contact HRF. For more information, see http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-1249551

About Thor Halvorssen Mendoza:

Thor Halvorssen Mendoza is a human rights activist and the founder and CEO of the Human Rights Foundation (HRF). This group is a non-partisan, non-profit organization that promotes and protects global human rights and unites people in the common cause of promoting democracy. The group focuses on the founding ideals of the human rights movement represented in the 1976 International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).

For More Information:
Thor Halvorssen Mendoza
The Human Rights Foundation
350 Fifth Avenue, 4515
New York, NY 10118
(212) 246-8486
[email protected]
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfT3WeoNdSARguhAU9JnXvQ/playlists?view_as=public
"http://humanrightsfoundation.org