By — Shyamal Sinha
On the 18th, communities around the world marked Nelson Mandela International Day, designated by the United Nations to honor the values of human rights, peace, reconciliation and social justice that Nelson Mandela, South Africa’s first Black president and a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, devoted his life to.
Mandela endured 27 years in prison for resisting apartheid, South Africa’s system of racial segregation. Yet after regaining his freedom, he chose reconciliation and forgiveness over retribution, and devoted himself to national unity and democracy. His life is widely cited as a defining example of human dignity, equality, and the right of every person to live free of discrimination.
Human rights are a universal value that goes beyond guaranteeing individual freedom – they ensure that every person’s dignity is recognized and that all can live as equals. At this year’s events, concerns were again raised that basic human rights continue to be violated around the world through war and conflict, poverty, racial and religious tension, and discrimination based on gender or nationality. This underscores that protecting human rights is not the concern of any one country or individual, but a shared task for the entire international community.
On this day, the UN encourages everyone to practice small acts of service, sharing and consideration within their own communities. Mandela’s own words – that changing the world does not require grand gestures, but begins with small actions taken wherever one stands – were also revisited. Many also stressed that human rights are deeply tied to peace: respecting one another’s rights and diversity, and working to reduce discrimination and hatred, form the foundation for preventing conflict and building sustainable peace.
This kind of human rights discussion is not confined to any single region. A case currently unfolding in South Korea has also drawn attention from some in the international community. Chairman of Shincheonji Church, was taken into custody on June 24 on charges including violation of the Political Parties Act and remains under investigation; European scholars of religion and human rights experts reportedly discussed the case at the European Academy of Religion’s (EuARe) international conference in Rome on July 3.
The UN’s Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners, renamed the “Mandela Rules” in 2015 in Mandela’s honor, recommend that alternatives to incarceration be considered first for elderly or seriously ill individuals. International human rights organizations United for Human Rights and CAP-LC (Coordination des Associations et des Particuliers pour la Liberté de Conscience) also submitted a joint written statement to the 62nd session of the UN Human Rights Council in May, expressing the view that the matter warrants continued monitoring.
The treatment of a detainee as old as 95 was also cited as a point worth watching. The UN maintains an Independent Expert on the Enjoyment of All Human Rights by Older Persons, tasked with advancing older persons’ rights, and has recommended guarding against unjust treatment or marginalization on the basis of age or health.
Alongside this, concern was also raised that the case could be seen as discrimination against a minority religion. Because South Korea has long been regarded as advanced on human rights, they noted, a decision made there could set a reference point for how religious freedom is judged elsewhere – making its wider impact worth watching closely.
Massimo Introvigne, an Italian sociologist of religion regarded as a leading authority on new religious movements and director of the Center for Studies on New Religions (CESNUR), is likewise reported to view the case as an instance of human rights suppression targeting a minority religion. He has repeatedly raised concerns about the situation surrounding Shincheonji in South Korea through international academic conferences and published commentary.
Nelson Mandela Day is not simply a commemoration of one person’s achievements. It is a day for all of us to remember to live as citizens who respect others’ rights, look out for the vulnerable, and practice peace and human rights in everyday life. Its significance lies all the more in the fact that a single moment of attention or a single small action can transform a community – and become the starting point for a more peaceful and just society.
source — HWPL PRESS
