Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission

Human rights are rights inherent to all human beings, whatever our nationality, place of residence, sex, national or ethnic origin, color, religion or language. Human rights are all interrelated, interdependent and indivisible, and we are all equally entitled to them without discrimination.

Looking for the universal human rights instruments? You'll find them here.

On March 3, 2017, the U.S. State Department released the Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2016.

According to the Global Terrorism Index 2016, 93% of all terrorist attacks between 1989 and 2014 occurred in countries with high levels of state sponsored terror -- extra-judicial deaths, torture and imprisonment without trial.

According to the UN Refugee Agency, there are 21.3 million refugees in the world today, over half of whom are children. World Refugee Day is a time to commemorate the courage and resilience of the people who have been forced from their homes due to war, conflict or persecution, and urge governments to work together to solve the problems that cause people to flee.

On June 6, 2017, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein opened the 35th Session of the UN Human Rights Council with remarks on the state of human rights around the world.

Torture is a crime under international law. June 26 is a day to stand with victims of torture, their families and their communities, and to support organizations everywhere that help victims recover and heal.