International Day of the Right to the Truth regarding gross violations of human rights and the dignity of victims (24/03)

The UN General Assembly adopted the date of March 24 as International Day for the Right to the Truth concerning Gross Human Rights Violations and for the Dignity of Victims by its resolution A/RES/65/196 dated December 21, 2010.

The issue of the application of the right to the truth is often raised in the context of gross violations of human rights and serious violations of humanitarian law. In cases of massacres, enforced disappearances, missing persons, child abduction and torture, victims and their relatives demand awareness of these events.

The right to the truth involves obtaining complete and detailed reliable information about the events that took place, the specific circumstances of these events and their participants, including information about the circumstances under which the violations were committed, as well as the reasons for these violations.

The day on the calendar was chosen in honor of Oscar Arnulfo Romero — Archbishop of San Salvador. Monsignor Romero spoke out against poverty, social inequality, murder and torture in El Salvador. For his views, the archbishop was attacked by adherents of radical movements and, as a result, was killed. This happened on March 24, 1980.

Representatives of the United Nations recognized the value and importance of the work done by Oscar Romero and decided to set a new date on the day of the archbishop's death.

«Taking into account the values that Monsignor Romero defended, his devotion to serving humanity, his constant calls for dialogue and rejection of all forms of violence, all UN member states and international organizations are invited to properly celebrate this International Day», — says in the General Assembly resolution.

The International Day is held primarily to honor the memory of victims of gross and systematic violations of human rights, as well as to recall the importance of the right to truth and justice. In addition, events are held on this day to pay tribute to those who dedicated their lives to the fight for human rights or fell in this fight.

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