Church of Scientology and Youth for Human Rights International Announce Human Rights Hero Contest

Youth for Human Rights International (YHRI) in partnership with the Human Rights Department of the Church of Scientology unveiled two new international human rights awards at a special announcement event held in Hollywood which was webcast to human rights advocates around the world. The awards, known as the Youth for Human Rights Hero Award for those twenty-one years of age and under and the Know Your Rights Hero Award for adults, recognize outstanding achievements in the promotion of human rights through implementation of one or more of the thirty articles of the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights (UDHR). Awardees will be announced after the April 30th deadline for world-wide nominations. YHRI Advisory Board member and actor Anne Archer praised the initiative as acknowledging "ordinary individuals doing extraordinary things."

Ms. Archer also announced her own initiative for human rights, the creation of Artists for Human Rights International, a group that will work with artists to overcome artistic represssion around the world and use their power to forward positive human rights measures.

Other speakers included Canadian actor Tyler Hynes, the YHRI spokesperson in Canada, Leisa Goodman, Human Rights Director of the Church of Scientology International and Mary Shuttleworth, founder of the Youth for Human Rights International.

Announcement of the awards created excitement around the globe as numerous human rights groups and advocates sent messages to both YHRI and the Church encouraging the Hero Award contest and which were read during the event. This intense interest led to the webcast.

In recognizing achievements in human rights through these awards, YHRI and the Church are continuing their world-wide education campaign about the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights which, although adopted by 191 countries since 1948, few people know about. During the last five years, over 1,000,000 booklets about the UDHR have been distributed on five continents by both YHRI and the Church with over 70 million people touched by this educational effort. The YHRI-produced human rights music video for youth "United" has won acclaim with nine international film festival awards including the Grand Jury Award from the New York International Film and Video Festival.

Information about eligibility for the Hero Awards including nomination forms are available on the Internet at www.youthforhumanrights.org.