Int'l human rights seminar focuses on peace

NANJING, Nov. 28 (Xinhua) -- The Third International Seminar on Human Rights and Museology was opened in east China's Nanjing Tuesday, where scholars discussed the protection of peace and human rights ahead of the 80th anniversary of the Nanjing Massacre.

The two-day seminar was attended by nearly 100 researchers in human rights and representatives of museums from 18 countries and regions, including Britain, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, and South Africa.

Topics discussed by the attendees included "missions and responsibilities of museums and memorials in engaging in the education on peace and human rights" and "approaches and methods of intensifying international exchanges and cooperation to construct common memories for humanity."

"In the face of threats and challenges from human society development and human rights protection, we should learn the lessons of history and firmly safeguard world peace and stability," said Wang Guoqing, vice chairman of China Foundation for Human Rights Development (CFHRD).

On Dec. 13, 1937, Japanese troops captured Nanjing, then China's capital, and started a slaughter lasting more than 40 days. About 300,000 civilians and Chinese soldiers, who had laid down their arms, were murdered.

The seminar was jointly hosted by the CFHRD, China Museums Association and Jiangsu Provincial Association for International Cultural Exchange. Enditem