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c 600 or 576-530 BC - Cyrus the Great - Founder of the Achaemenid Empire (all previous civilized Near Easat states). Proclaimed oldest known declaration of human rights (the Cyrus Cylinder).
1600
1632-1704 - John Locke - Philosopher & physician. Regarded as one of the most influential of Enlightenment thinkers. Known as the "Father of Classical Liberalism."
1689-1755 - Baron de Montesquieu - Lawyer, man of letters & political philosopher. Lived during the Age of Enlightenment. Famous for the theory of separation of powers.
1694-1746 - Francis Hutcheson - Philosopher born in Ireland to a family of Scottish Presbyterians. A founding father of the Scottish Enlightenment.
1694-1748 - Jean-Jacques Burlamaqui - Legal & political theorist. Ttravelled through France & England. Popularized ideas propounded by other thinkers.
1694-1778 - Voltaire - Writer, historian & philosopher. Famous for his wit & attacks on the Catholic Church. Advocated freedom of religion, freedom of expression & separation of church & state.
1700
1712-1778 - Jean-Jacques Rousseau - Genevan philosopher, writer & composer. Influenced French Revolution & all modern political, sociological & educational thought.
1725-1792 - George Mason - Statesman. Called "Father of the United States Bill of Rights" (along with James Madison).
1737-1809 - Thomas Paine - Political activist, philosopher & political theorist. Inspired American Revolution. Wrote "Common Sense" in 1776 & "Rights of Man" in 1791.
1743-1826 - Thomas Jefferson - Wrote the US Declaration of Independence in 1776. Minister to France 1784-89. 3rd US president 1801-09.
1748-1793 - Olympe de Gouges - Playwright, political activist & early feminist. Advocated for slaves in the colonies. Wrote Declaration of the Rights of Woman & the Female Citizen (1791). Executed. 
1749-1791 - Honoré de Mirabeau - Noble. Played central role in conceptualizing & drafting the Declaration of the Rights of Man & of the Citizen.
1751-1836 - James Madison - Introduced the US Bill of Rights in 1789. Called "Father of the United States Bill of Rights" (along with George Mason). 4th US president 1809-17.
1757-1834 - Marquis de Lafayette - Aristocrat & military officer. Fought in American Revolution. Helped write Declaration of the Rights of Man & of the Citizen aided by Thomas Jefferson. 
1770-1831 - George Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel - Philosopher. Revolutionized European philosophy. An important precursor to Continental philosophy, Marxism & historism.
1800
1805-1879 - William Lloyd Garrison - Abolitionist. Helped found American Anti-Slavery Society in 1833 in Philadelphia. 
1806-1873 - John Stuart Mill - Philosopher & proponent of utilitarianism. Contributed to social theory & political theory.
1841-1932 - Ferdinand Buisson - Academic, pacifist & Socialist. Directed Human Rights League 1914-1926. 
1927 with Ludwig Quidde
1861-1930 - Fridtjof Nansen - Athelete, explorer, zoologist, diplomat & humanitarian. League of Nations High Commissioner for Refugees 1921. Nobel Peace Prize. 1922 
1870-1919 - John Mitchell - Labor leader. President of United Mine Workers of America 1898-1908. Called "Champion of Labor. Defender of Human Rights."
1882-1971 - Isabel González - Activist. Caused US courts in 1903-04 to give citizenship to her & other inhabitants of US territories. Conducted letter writing campaign in NY Times.
1882-1973 - Jacques Maritain - Catholic philosopher. A drafter of Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948. Friend of Saul Alinsky (qv).
1884-1962 - Eleanor Roosevelt - Wife of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt (qv). Chaired UDHR Commission. 
1960 
1895-1982 - Vinova Bhave - Advocate of nonviolence & human rights. Considered to be spiritual successor of Mahatma Gandhi. 
1900
1903-1986 - Ella Baker - Civil rights & human rights activist beginning in the 1930's. Helped found Southern Christian Leadership Conference. 
1905-1976 - Dalton Trumbo - Screenwriter & novelist. One of the Hollywood Ten. Monument in Boulder, Colorado.
1905-1995 - John Peters Humphrey, OC - Legal scholar, jurist & human rights advocate. Author of the first draft of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights (UDHR).
1909-1999 -
Dom Helder Camara - Archbishop, social worker & human rights organizer. Advocate of liberation theology.
1920
1920-Alive -
Thomas Szasz - Psychiatrist. Criticized modern medicine. Co-founded Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR).
1973
1921-1989 -
Andrei Sakharov - Nuclear physicist. Dissident & human rights advocate. Husband of Yelena Bonner (qv). 1975
1980
1923-2011 - Yelena Bonner - Nurse. Human rights advocate. Exiled to Gorky. Wife of Andrei Sakharov (qv).
1925-1989 -
Malcolm X - Muslim minister & militant human rights activist. Gunned down at meeting in NY City.
1929-1995 - Arna Mer-Khamis - Human rights activist. Mother of Juliano Mer-Khamis (qv). "Arna's Children" shows her work at Freedom Theatre in Jenin (West Bank). 
1993
1930
1931-2011 - Jean-Claude Bajeux - Professor of Caribbean literature. Political activist. Director of Ecumenical Center for Human Rights.
1935-Alive - 14th Dalai Lama - Spiritual leader. Exiled from Tibet in 1959. 
1989
Year?
2009
1936-2011 - Václav Havel - Playwright, essayist, poet, dissident & politician. Czech president 1989-2003. Chair Human Rights Foundation. Pres Medal of Freedom 2003.
1938-Alive - Father Roy Bourgeois - Priest & human rights activist. Founded School of the Americas Watch (SOA Watch) in 1990 to protest US militarism in Central America. Year? 1994
1938-Alive - Saad Eddin Ibrahim - Sociologist & author. Egypt's leading human rights & democracy activist. Critic of Hosni Mubarak.
1940
c1940-Alive -
Sybila Arredondo - Anthropologist. Imprisoned in Peru as human rights activist. 
1941-Alive - Svetlana Gannushkina - Mathematician & human rights activist. Contender for Nobel Peace Prize. 
1947-Alive - Shirin Ebadi - Lawyer & human rights activist. Founded Centre for the Defence of Human Rights in Iran. 2003
1950
1952-2012 - Oswaldo Payá - Political activist. Founded Christian Liberation Movement in 1987 to oppose Cuban Communist Party. Organized Varela Project for freedoms of speech & assembly.
1957-Alive - Laurence Overmire - "Poet, author, actor, educator, genealogist, peace activist, civil rights, human rights & animal rights advocate & environmentalist."
1958-2006 - Anna Politkovskaya - Journalist, writer & human rights activist. Known for opposition to the Chechen conflict.
1958-2009 - Natalia Estemirova - Human rights activist. On board of Russian human rights organisation Memorial. Abducted from her home in Grozny, Chechnya.
1958-2011 - Juliano Mer-Khamis - Actor & political activist. Murdered in Janin (Occupied West Bank) at Freedom Theatre which he founded in 2006.
1960
1960-Alive - Rabbi Arik Ascherman - Moved to Israel in 1994. Now Executive Director of Rabbis for Human Rights (RHR).
1961-Alive - Óscar Elías Bicet - Medical professional. Advocate for human rights & democracy. Nominated for Nobel Peace Prize by Václav Havel.
1962-Alive - Taslima Nasrin - Physician. Author of 33 books. Supports human rights & criticizes religion. "All religions are antiwomen." In exile since 1994. Has received many intl awards.
1964-2001 - Digna Ochoa - Human rights lawyer. Defended peasant ecologists in Guerrero. Received post mortem International Human Rights Award from Global Exchange.
c1967-Alive - Bassem al-Tamimi - Teacher. Convicted by Israeli military of "sending people to throw stones." Called "human rights defender" by EU & "prisoner of conscience" by Amnesty Intl.
1970
1971-2009 - Oscar Kamau Kingara - Human rights activist. Killed with John Paul Oulo.
1971-2010 - Chidi Nwosu - Anti-corruption activist. Founded Human Rights, Justice & Peace Foundation. Assassinated at age 39. P 
1973-2012 - Rebecca Tarbotton - Environmental, human rights & food activist. Executive Director of Rainforest Action Network (RAN).
1973-Alive - Ragia Omran - Human rights lawyer in Cairo. Defends "Arab Spring" activists. Received Robert F Kennedy Human Rights Award for 2013.
1974-2009 - Stanislav Markelov - Human rights lawyer. Participated in publicized cases, including those of police violence victims & journalists.
1976-Alive - Huwaida Arraf - Lawyer in Ramallah, West Bank. Human rights activist. Co-founder of nonviolent International Solidarity Movement (ISM).
1979-Alive - Anna Baltzer - Activist for Palestinian human rights. Opposes Israeli occupation. Depicted in "Palestinian Pietà."
c1979-Alive - Anderson Sa - Musician & activist. Led Brazilian youth away from drug cartels. Received Reebok Human Rights Award in 2007. 
