Shillong,Dec 14: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has stressed the need of supporting the human rights defenders..
At the inaugural programme of the two-day camp sitting/public open hearing of the NHRC held in the city on Tuesday for Meghalaya, Mizoram and Tripura, the NHRC member Justice Mahesh Mittal Kumar said that it believes that human rights defenders and civil societies are crucial allies in the fight to preserve and promote the inalienable rights of the citizens since they play a vital role in fighting discrimination, investigating violations, and helping victims in getting justice. “And, therefore, it is vital for state governments and various public agencies, together with the support of the Commission, to do their utmost to protect them and safeguard their freedom of expression to facilitate their efforts in the defence of human rights in the country”, he said.
He hoped that the Commission will be able to deliberate meaningfully on the important human rights issues and create a blueprint for more effective cooperation and coordination between the Commission and the government agencies and officials, with an objective of better protection and promotion of human rights.
“We have to work hard to ensure protection of human rights and bring comfort to maximum number of people, he added.
The official also emphasised that the provision of basic facilities such as roads, water, food, education and electricity, all contribute to enhancing the quality of life of the people and help reinforce the commitment of the state government to human rights protection. Issues concerning prison reforms, custodial justice, condition of juvenile homes, basic sanitation and other facilities at police stations and prisons, delay in submission of compliance reports by state authorities, also need to be addressed,he said.
