Indian human rights group wins Norwegian prize

[Guest guest]

Indian human rights group wins Norwegian prize

Reuters

Thu Sep 20, 2007

 

Oslo

A Norwegian human rights body, which has four times

anticipated the Nobel Peace Prize winner with its own

award, chose on Thursday an Indian group fighting for the

rights of casteless people to receive its annual prize.

 

The Thorolf Rafto Foundation for Human Rights honoured

India's National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights

(NCDHR) for promoting the rights of Dalits, a name

adopted by India's 167 million people labelled " impure, "

" casteless, " or " untouchable. "

 

The foundation praised the NCDHR " for its efforts to

emphasise that the discrimination and oppression resulting

from caste prejudice is a serious violation of international

human rights " .

 

It acknowledged that the caste system is " an intrinsic part of

Hinduism, the world oldest religion " .

 

But it added: " Millions of Indians are born into a social and

cultural system which fundamentally conflicts with the

notion that all human beings are born free with equal

rights " .

 

The Rafto Foundation said that many people in Pakistan,

Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka faced similar

discrimination based on their heritage, religion or

profession.

 

The NCDHR says it fights for 260 million people across

Asia.

 

" In the years to come, the cause of Dalits and similarly

oppressed people, abused because of their descent, is

something that will occupy those concerned with human

rights across the world, " NCDHR official Paul Divakar said,

welcoming the prize.

 

Four Rafto laureates, Myanmar's Aung San Suu Kyi, East

Timor's Jose Ramos-Horta, South Korea's Kim Dae-Jung

and Iran's Shirin Ebadi, subsequently won the Nobel Peace

Prize.

 

The 2007 Nobel Peace Prize winner will be announced on

Oct. 12 in Oslo. Only nominations received by a February

deadline are considered for the Nobel prize, and the

NCDHR was not known to be among them.

 

http://in.today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=top

News & storyID=2007-09-20T171114Z_01_NOOTR_RTRMDNC_0_India-296392-

2.xml

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[Guest guest]

Hindus do not believe in castes. Every soul is divine as per Hindu

way of life. Caste is a political propoganda.

 

, " msbauju " <msbauju wrote:

>

> Indian human rights group wins Norwegian prize

> Reuters

> Thu Sep 20, 2007

>

> Oslo

> A Norwegian human rights body [....] honoured

> India's National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights

> (NCDHR) for promoting the rights of Dalits, a name

> adopted by India's 167 million people labelled " impure, "

> " casteless, " or " untouchable. "

>

> [....]

> It acknowledged that the caste system is " an intrinsic part of

> Hinduism, the world oldest religion " .

> [....]

>

> http://in.today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=top

> News & storyID=2007-09-20T171114Z_01_NOOTR_RTRMDNC_0_India-296392-

> 2.xml

> or

> http://tinyurl.com/2856jm

>