There was a need to recognise the role of social media which has transformed the lives of thousands of people by spreading democratic movements in different countries, Andhra Pradesh High Court Chief Justice Madan Lokur stressed here on Saturday.

Speaking at a programme organised as part of 'World Human Rights Day' celebrations here Justice Lokur said Facebook, Twitter and others came into prominence in countries like Egypt and Tunisia after human rights activists and people at large used them for anti-government campaigns as there was violation of human rights on a daily-basis and there was no freedom of expression.

"Following large scale movements...the governments (autocratic regimes) in Tunisia, Egypt and Lybia were overthrown after human rights defenders and even the ordinary people used the social media against the "repressive" regimes," Lokur said adding the use of these websites transformed the lives of thousands of people.

"We need to recognise the role of social media which has given rise to many democratic movements across the world this year," he observed.

The Chief Justice of AP High Court also emphasised the need to spread awareness among people about their rights and responsibilities to address human rights violations.

"Rather than getting involved by only filing complaints before Human Rights Commissions, Courts and alleging violations...all of us need to get involved and make people understand what are their rights. We need to get involved by spreading awareness and by telling people about their duties, responsibilities and how we can reduce violations of human rights," he stressed.