June 11, 2007

NEW YORK – Human rights activists, artists and UN officials gathered at the Church of Scientology just off Times Square last Tuesday (June 5th) to applaud as Mr. Hans Janitschek, President of the UN Society of Writers, gave its prestigious Award of Excellence to Taron X. Lexton, creator of a 30-part video work bringing to life each of the 30 articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Janitschek said Lexton, 22 years old, is the youngest individual to receive the medal, which has been given to statesmen such as Mikhail Gorbachev and literary figures like Norman Mailer. He extolled the video works, created as part of a human rights education program by Youth for Human Rights International, saying the videos are "not just Public Service Announcements, but expressions of life and jewels of insight into human beings." Indeed, the videos, brimming with emotional impact and relevance, have developed a huge following in the ten months since they were premiered at a UN Summit on Making Human Rights a Reality.

They are being played on television in more than a dozen countries, and being used to convey human rights concepts by teachers from Ghana and Nepal to Los Angeles and New York. Jantischek praised the videos for their effectiveness in communicating the key points in the Universal Declaration, as an indispensable step in implementing real human rights and providing mutual respect and peace in the world. Lexton, in an interview after the event Tuesday, emphasized his use of his art to change conditions, quoting humanitarian and Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard, that, "Human rights must be made a fact, not an idealistic dream." The videos can be seen at http://www.YouthforHumanRights.org/.

Church of Scientology New York