Archive for the 'awards' Category
June 9, 2016
Today, 9 June 2016, Egypt‘s wrongfully detained scholars and students received the 2016 Courage to Think Defender Award during the SAR Global Congress in Montreal, Canada. This is in recognition for their commitment to exercising the right to think, share and question ideas despite tremendous risks. SAR selected student representatives to accept the award in order to recognize their efforts to conduct research and advocacy on behalf of threatened scholars and students around the world. “The students are vital to raising awareness around cases of imprisoned scholars and students like these, and to promoting academic freedom globally and locally,” said Clare Robinson, Advocacy Director at SAR.
Over the past several years, SAR has observed an overwhelming crackdown on Egypt’s higher education community, including the reported use of violence, wrongful prosecutions and imprisonment, professional retaliation and travel restrictions against scholars and students across the country. According to data obtained by the Egyptian NGO, Association for Free Thought and Expression, over 2,000 university students and professors have been detained by security forces since July 2013.
SAR has presented the award only twice before, in 2011 to Aryeh Neier for his long career dedicated to free inquiry and expression including as the chair of the American Civil Liberties Union, Human Rights Watch and the Open Society Foundations, and in 2015 to Dean Habib Kazdaghli of Manouba University in Tunisia for defending his university from extremist pressures after the Arab Spring, including in the face of prosecution and death threats.
[Scholars at Risk: Scholars at Risk (SAR) is an international network of higher education institutions and individuals working to protect threatened scholars, promote academic freedom and prevent attacks on higher education communities around the world since 2000. SAR protects scholars suffering grave threats to their lives, liberty and well-being by arranging positions of sanctuary for those forced to flee, and advocating for scholars facing prosecution, imprisonment or other restrictions through the Scholars-in-Prison Project. SAR’s Academic Freedom Monitoring Project identifies and reports attacks on higher education to protect vulnerable scholars and students, hold perpetrators accountable and prevent future violations. Institutions or individuals interested in learning more about SAR and its activities should visit http://www.scholarsatrisk.org or email scholarsatrisk@nyu.edu]
see also: https://thoolen.wordpress.com/2015/06/23/scholars-at-risk-publishes-first-academic-freedom-monitoring-report-free2think/
Posted in awards, Human Rights Defenders | 1 Comment »
Tags: Academic freedom, Courage to Think Defender Award, Egypt, Habib Kazdaghli, human rights award, Montreal, SAR, scholars, Scholars at Risk, students
June 7, 2016
Radio Free Asia reported on 6 June 2016 that detained (on suspicion of “subversion of state power”) lawyer
Wang Yu was awarded the prestigious
Ludovic Trarieux Prize in Athens on Saturday. [for more info on award see:
http://www.brandsaviors.com/thedigest/award/ludovic-trarieux-international-human-rights-prize]. The jury said it wanted to “
hail the courage” of a woman who “
decided that she could no longer keep her mouth shut,” founder Bernard Favreau said. “
She chose to expose herself to dangers in order to defend the rights of women, children and persecuted minorities,” he told Agence France-Presse.
Wang’s attorney Wen Donghai welcomed the award. “They used a serious of objective criteria, for example, the fact that Wang Yu often gave legal assistance to clients from vulnerable groups,” Wen said. “This has nothing to do with any government, nor with diplomacy.” But he said the award is unlikely to help Wang’s case with the Chinese authorities. “I don’t hold out much hope of that, because our government has a very biased attitude to such prizes, and they see human rights groups as trying to interfere in China’s internal affairs,” Wen said. “In reality, rights groups aren’t targeting China, but trying to help victims and vulnerable people around the world.” Wang has unfortunately figured regularly in this blog: https://thoolen.wordpress.com/tag/wang-yu/
[The award comes as the families of dozens of rights lawyers detained on similar charges hit out at the government for denying the detainees access to their lawyers, and amid concerns that some detainees may have been tortured or sexually abused in police detention centers.]
On 5 June 2016, in a
joint letter Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, China Aid, Freedom House, Human Rights in China, Initiatives for China, International Campaign for Tibet, Reporters without Borders, Uyghur Human Rights Project, and World Uygur Congress – urged the US to:
- Meet with representatives of civil society in China during or immediately after the meeting;
- Press Chinese counterparts to repeal or bring into line with international law new national security laws, including the Counterterrorism and the Foreign Non-Governmental Management laws;
- Publicly call for the release of specific individuals detained for peacefully exercising their rights; and
- Publicly discuss US concerns about growing restrictions on the rights to freedom of expression and religion, among others.
In Hong Kong, protesters marched to Beijing’s Liaison Office in the former British colony on Monday, demanding an inquiry into the 2012 “suicide” death of Chinese labor rights activist Li Wangyang in police custody four years ago. Rights activist Ou Biaofeng said Li’s friends and relatives are under house arrest or close police surveillance on the anniversary of his death. “They are all under surveillance by the state security police, and are cooperating”
For the Lucovic-Trarieux prize 2015: https://thoolen.wordpress.com/2015/06/14/saudi-arabian-human-rights-lawyer-waleed-abu-al-khair-wins-ludovic-trarieux-prize/
Source: Detained Chinese Lawyer Wins Award Amid Calls For Pressure on Human Rights
https://www.hrw.org/news/2016/06/05/us-show-breadth-rights-commitment-china-dialogue
Posted in awards, HRW, human rights, Human Rights Defenders | 4 Comments »
Tags: Agence France-Presse, China, digest of human rights awards, Foreign Policy of the USA, human rights awards, Human Rights Defenders, human rights lawyer, illegal detention, Li Wangyang, Ludovic Trarieux Prize, NGOs, Ou Biaofeng, Radio Free Asia, Wang Yu, Wen Donghai, woman human rights defender
June 6, 2016
Hina Jilani will speak on the subject of “Protecting Human Rights Defenders Worldwide.” Ms Jilani, from Lahore in Pakistan, is a lawyer, civil rights activist, and an advocate of the Supreme Court of Pakistan. She has been active in the movement for peace, human rights, and women’s rights in Pakistan for more than three decades and is internationally recognised for her expertise in critical human rights investigations. especially as the first UN rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders. The event will incorporate an interview with Ms Jilani and Mrs Robinson. The lecture is free of charge and open to the public. For more information or to reserve a seat visit www.maryrobinsoncentre.ie/events.
Source: International Human Rights Lecture 2016 – The Mary Robinson Centre – Ireland’s first Presidential Library
More posts about Hina Jilani: https://thoolen.wordpress.com/tag/hina-jilani/
She won the 2000 Ginetta Sagan award and the 2008 American Bar Association Human Rights Award.
Posted in awards, human rights, Human Rights Defenders | Leave a Comment »
Tags: Hina Jilani, Human Rights Defenders, Ireland, lecture, Mary Robinson, Mary Robinson Centre, woman human rights defender
May 30, 2016
Nine former Sakharov prize laureates from different countries met in Brussels on 24 May 2016 to discuss how to adapt to the challenges facing human rights defenders in the digital era. The event was organised by the European Parliament (EP) in the framework of Sakharov prize network activities engaging former prize laureates and Members of EP to draw attention to human rights violations and to support former laureates and their causes.
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in awards, human rights, Human Rights Defenders | Leave a Comment »
Tags: Ali Ferzat, digest of human rights awards, EU, European Parliament, European Parliament President Martin Schulz, human rights award, laureates, Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, Sakharov prize network, Vitaliy Ponomarev, Zhanna Litvina
May 27, 2016
On Wednesday 25 May 2016 Azerbaijan finally released investigative journalist Khadijah Ismayilova [https://thoolen.wordpress.com/2015/12/18/azerbaijan-khadija-ismayilova-remains-in-jail-but-council-of-europe-takes-exceptional-step/] after a number of other human rights defenders were released bit by bit over the last months. Ismayilova was serving a seven-and-a-half year sentence on charges which included embezzlement, illegal business activities and tax evasion. The Supreme Court has now amended her imprisonment to 3 1/2 years of suspended sentence and released her from prison. She vowed to continue to fight to clear her name. “I will continue to fight until complete acquittal,” Ismayilova told reporters after her release. “I will also continue to work as a journalist.” The British-Lebanese lawyer Amal Clooney is representing Khadija Ismayilova at the European Court of Human Rights.
As an independent reporter and journalist of the Azerbaijani radio Azadliq (“Radio Freedom”) she has shown great courage (see: https://thoolen.wordpress.com/2014/12/11/khadija-ismayilova-azerbaijan-is-not-deterred/), and received several international prizes, such as the 2015 Alison Des Forges Award for Extraordinary Activism (HRW), the 2015 Freedom to Write Award, the 2012 Fritt Ord/Zeit Press Prize, and the 2012 Courage of Journalism Award by the Washington-based International Women’s Media Foundation.
Although there are still human rights defenders and journalists in prison, Azerbaijan provides a fine example of how awards and the combined international pressure from a variety of sources (States, NGOs and international organizations) can have an impact:
https://thoolen.wordpress.com/2016/03/18/azerbaijan-pardon-jafarov-ismayilova-aliyev/
https://thoolen.wordpress.com/2016/04/08/released-intigam-aliyev-azerbaijan-civil-rights-defender-of-the-year-award/
Source:
Reuters – Azerbaijan frees journalist whose case raised outcry in West
https://www.cpj.org/2016/05/-azerbaijani-reporter-khadija-ismayilova-ordered-r.php
Posted in awards, human rights, Human Rights Defenders | Leave a Comment »
Tags: Amal Clooney, Azerbaijan, campaign, Council of Europe, diplomatic pressure, human rights awards, Human Rights Defenders, Ismayilova, journalists, Khadijah Ismayilova, release
May 23, 2016
The Boris Nemtsov Foundation was established by Zhanna Nemtsova, a daughter of the murdered politician, Boris Nemtsov, and plans to work in the field of education and raising public awareness, expert evaluations and also in “helping political prisoners and those who are prosecuted on political grounds in Russia.” A new national award, the Boris Nemtsov Prize, was created which is awarded annually for “outstanding courage in fighting for democratic values, human rights and freedom in Russia.”
Lev Schlosberg, a member of the Yabloko Party and a former deputy of the Pskov regional parliament, was announced as the first recipient. The award ceremony will take place in Bonn, Germany, on Russia’s National Day, June 12.
Nemtsov was in 2015 runner-up in the European Parliament’s Sakharov prize: https://thoolen.wordpress.com/2015/10/29/saudi-blogger-raif-badawi-awarded-europes-sakharov-prize/
Source: Human rights activist Shlosberg awarded Boris Nemtsov Foundation Prize | Russia Beyond The Headlines
Posted in awards, human rights | Leave a Comment »
Tags: awards, Bonn, Boris Nemtsov, Democracy, Lev Schlosberg, political prisoners, politician, Russia, Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought
May 19, 2016
Back home the backlash has started and he has asked for support:
– Malaysian ministers threaten him anew;
– a government-backed NGO is going to protest at Kofi Annan’s office.
The award was presented by ex-UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan, and the winners were given a chance to exhibit their artworks at Lac Léman in Geneva. Zunar’s cartoons covers issues such as corruption, freedom of expression, conspiracy against opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, and the new National Security law.
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in awards, Human Rights Defenders | 2 Comments »
Tags: Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, artist, Cartooning for Peace Award, Cartooning for Peace Prize, cartoons, freedom of expression, harassment, Kofi Annan, Malaysia, political intimidation, reprisals, Zunar
May 19, 2016
Giselle Portenier (CNW Group/Canadian Journalism Forum on Violence and Trauma)
Independent documentary-makers and freelance journalists working to expose human rights abuses can compete for a bursary to help them obtain hostile environment training, more usually made available to journalists working in war zones. The 2016 Portenier Human Rights Bursary competition, offered by the Canadian Journalism Forum on Violence and Trauma, opened on 16 May and closes on June 30. The annual bursary, introduced last year, is sponsored by the documentary-maker Giselle Portenier. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in awards, films, human rights, Human Rights Defenders | Leave a Comment »
Tags: Canada, Canadian Journalism Forum on Violence and Trauma, Documentary film, film makers, funding, human rights monitoring, Jason O'Hara, journalists, Portenier Human Rights Bursary, protection, scholarships, security, training course
May 13, 2016
Fritt Ord and ZEIT-Stiftung have given their 2016 awards to: Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in awards, human rights, Human Rights Defenders | Leave a Comment »
Tags: Alison Des Forges Award, Ane Tusvik Bonde, anti corruption, Azerbaijan, Chechnya, Elena Milashina, Fritt Ord/Zeit Press Prize, human rights awards, Human Rights House Foundation, journalists, media, Nashi Groshi, Press Freedom, Russia, Seymur Hazi, Ukraine
May 12, 2016
Yuli Rustinawati is the founder and chair of Arus Pelangi, one of Indonesia’s leading LGBT organizations. Photo: www.stonewall25.org.uk
Yuli Rustinawati, 40, is a lesbian who is the founder and chair of Arus Pelangi, one of Indonesia‘s leading LGBT organizations. The award comes amidst a rash on anti-gay rhetoric by political leaders in Indonesia in recent months. During the past three months Indonesian politicians have vowed to criminalize homosexuality; ban LGBT people from receiving education, employment, access to health care, and housing; called for the removal of gay characters on popular TV shows; and called upon tech companies to remove same-sex emojis from smart phone apps and social media. Rustinawati is setting up a foundation for sexual orientation and gender variant human rights defenders that will provide an emergency assistance program for its safe house, relocation assistance, a network with other human rights organizations, and an information and referral hotline. The foundation is also launching “You Are Not Alone,” a campaign to educate people about LGBTs and encourage more gay people to be visible.
On 5 May 2016 the Bay Area Reporter Online (Heather Cassel) published the news that Indonesian LGBT human rights defender Yuli Rustinawati will receive the Felipa De Souza Award 2016 at OutRight’s Celebration of Courage Gala on16 May. Bisexual actor Alan Cumming will host the event and the awards will be presented by celebrity stylist Carson Kressley.
For earlier posts on LGBT human rights see: https://thoolen.wordpress.com/tag/lgbt-human-rights/
For more information: http://www.alturi.org/indonesia_campaign and http://www.outrightinternational.org/events/celebration-courage-2016.
Source: The Bay Area Reporter Online | Indonesian lesbian activist honored with award
Posted in awards, human rights, Human Rights Defenders | Leave a Comment »
Tags: Alan Cumming, Arus Pelangi, Carson Kressley, digest of human rights awards, Felipa De Souza Award, human rights awards, Indonesia, lesbian, LGBT, OutRight's Celebration of Courage gala, Yuli Rustinawati
Hans Thoolen on Human Rights Defenders and their awards 