Interview with Dr. Florian Hoffmann from The London School of Economics and Political Science

On the heels of one of the most historic Presidential Inaugurations in United States history, President Obama declares that the detention facilities at Guantanamo Bay will be closed by the end of the year. The implications of this act resonate with the international community at large and not least with those committed to the proliferation of Human Rights agendas. In taking such a step forward, President Obama and his administration demonstrate that policies of torture and injustice will not be tolerated in the years to come. 

In the last month of 2008, the world celebrated the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. We are reminded not only of the legacy of this fundamental document but of our continued responsibility as active students to uphold the meaning of the words carefully constructed within it.

And so after eight years, the Bush era is coming to a close with the election of America’s first black president, Barack Obama. Already this month, the president-elect has confirmed his earlier promise that the detention facilities at Guantanamo Bay will be closed, bringing that dark chapter to an end.

Here at the UCL Student Human Rights Programme there is good reason to be excited; with over 100 new student members from a range of UCL Departments, we are hotly pursuing our objective of fostering a human rights culture within UCL and beyond.

We hope these initiatives take us all one step closer to a human rights culture.

The history of the modern world has seen students being at the forefront of advocating for the protection of human rights. Ranging from the US Civil Rights Movement, to the anti-Vietnam war protests, Athens in 1973, and Tiananmen Square in 1989, the images of students standing up to governments are strongly etched in our minds. Yet, today, at least in this country, we see apathy replacing action.

A month of ironies, of hypocrisy.  Whilst George Bush criticised China for her human rights record on the eve of the Olympics, new reports emerged of America’s torture record.  Similarly, the short-sightedness of the American government is once again evident in its condemnation of Russia’s invasion of Georgia, especially as new evidence emerged simultaneously about the run up to the invasion of Iraq.