(ZimRights chairperson Everson Ndlovu announcing the awards)
Human rights awards are growing more and more popular both at international and national level. For that reason my post number 1000 (this is number 999!!) tomorrow will be fully devoted to international human rights awards. The national human rights awards created by Zimbabwe Human Rights Association (ZIMRIGHTS) in 2012 are to be extended this year, increasing categories from an already very high number of 14 to 20. The human rights awards are to honour grassroots-based community campaigners for their contribution towards the promotion, protection and defence of human rights in their community and the country as a whole. “The new categories include the Female Human Rights Artist of the year, Male Human Rights of the year and the Peace Ambassador of the year, Outspoken MP of the year, Peace Ambassador and Outstanding HRD (Human Rights Defender) of the year from people living with disabilities,” Ndlovu said.
Existing categories include awards per province, outstanding Human Rights journalist of the year, outstanding youth human rights defender of the year and overall human rights defender of the year. Okay Machisa, the organisation’s national director, said the provincial councils would select names of 10 people that will then be reduced to three people starting with the winner, the first runner up and the second runner up. The outstanding human rights campaigners will be crowned at an awards dinner to be held in Bulawayo on Thursday 12 December at a ceremony organised by ZimRights and Bulawayo Agenda. Award winners will receive a shield or trophy and a cash prize from the guest of honour. Via Rights defenders set to be honoured.
In the meantime also in Zimbabwe a leading human rights defender, accused of running an illegal organisation, was acquitted Friday after a Harare court ruled he had no case to answer. Abel Chikomo, Director of the Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum, was brought to court in 2011 on charges of running an ‘illegal’ organisation after it conducted a survey on transitional justice in a Harare suburb. Magistrate Elijah Makomo castigated prosecutors for bringing the case before the courts as there was “absolutely” no case against Chikomo. Commenting on the acquittal Aster van Kregten, Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for Africa, said: “Bringing unfounded criminal charges against human rights defenders is one of the tools which have been consistently used to harass and intimidate Zimbabwe’s civil society…They must act urgently to end the malicious use of spurious charges and trials against human rights defenders, and publicly denounce these practices.”
Hans Thoolen on Human Rights Defenders and their awards 
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