Page 166 - Demo

Islam, Democracy and Human Rights in Contemporary Indonesia149historical journey %u2014 when those in power were often temptedto restrain the freedoms of citizens, including their rights tothink, speak, move, and express opinions.Galileo Galilei endured a %u201cLifetime Travel Ban%u201d imposedby the Church. Galileo (1564%u20131642) was an Italian scientist whosupported Copernicus%u2019s heliocentric theory %u2014 that the sun, notthe earth, is the center of the solar system.His views were considered contrary to the official teachingsof the Catholic Church at the time, which upheld the geocentricview (that the earth is the center of the universe).As a result, in 1633, Galileo was tried by the Church%u2019sInquisition and sentenced to house arrest for life. He wasforbidden to publish his works, prohibited from traveling, andeven restricted from freely receiving visitors.This punishment was imposed without what we nowrecognize as due process of law.Ultimately, Galileo%u2019s case became a symbol of the need toprotect the rights to freedom of thought, expression, andmovement. His suffering inspired later generations to defendthose same freedoms.Indeed, Galileo%u2019s sacrifice became one of the philosophicalinspirations behind the drafting of the Universal Declaration ofHuman Rights (UDHR) of 1948, following humanity%u2019s reflectionon Nazi atrocities and other forms of systemic oppression acrossthe world.Centuries later, Galileo%u2019s legacy seemed to return vividlywhen I, as Director General for the Protection of Human Rights,accompanied Minister of Justice and Human Rights Yusril IhzaMahendra on an official mission to Rome and The Hague (10%u201317 November 2002).