Lijon Eknilang

Overview

Lijon Eknilang born Rongelap, Marshall Islands March 1, 1946 (d. 2012). International advocate against nuclear weapons; victim of hydrogen bomb testing; suffered eight miscarriages. Testified at World Court, 1995.

Quotations

"My purpose for travelling such a great distance to appear before the Court today, is to plead with you to do what you can not to allow the suffering that we Marshallese have experienced to be repeated in any other community in the world. While no government or other organization can fully restore the health of the Marshallese people or our environment, steps can be taken which will make it less likely that the same kinds of horrors will be experienced again. I know first-hand what the devastating effects of nuclear weapons are over time and over long distances, and what those effects mean to innocent human beings over several generations. . . The story of the Marshallese people since the nuclear weapons tests has been sad and painful." (November 14, 1995; photo optimalprediction.com)

Elizabeth Evatt

Overview

Elizabeth Andreas Evatt born Australia November 11, 1933. Australian jurist and human rights advocate. Member of UN Committee on Discrimination vs. Women (CEDAW), 1984; later served as chairperson, 1989-91. First Australian member of UN Human Rights Commission. 1993-2000; Judge of World Bank personnel tribunal, 1998-2007.

Quotations

“Rights have to be turned into realities.” (Papers on Parliament, No. 33, May 1999)

“You have to see human rights as an all-embracing concept. It could be something that would unite the world, if it could only be seen in that light.” (photo humanrights.gov.au)