President Obama Meets Massimino and Human Rights Activists prior to Human Rights Summit

Human Rights First’s Elisa Massimino met with President Obama this morning, along with a group of activists participating in the Human Rights Summit today and tomorrow.

Frontline human rights defenders from Pakistan, Iran, Egypt, Belarus, Zimbabwe, Russia, Indonesia, Venezuela and other nations described the increasing repression against them and encouraged the President to play a greater leadership role in defending fundamental freedoms of association, assembly and expression.

Massimino stressed that, to support their courageous work, the United States must also set an example here at home. She and the group urged that the President follow through on his promise to align U.S. counterterrorism policies with universal human rights standards – including by closing Guantanamo, bringing terrorist suspects to justice in civilian trials, and ending the practice of indefinite detention.

Read our press release and follow the summit live – and join the conversation on Twitter using #HRSummit.

Also, stay tuned for a Plan of Action at the conclusion of the Summit with specific recommendations for the United States and other governments.