Posts Tagged ‘digest of human rights awards’
October 9, 2015
Intigam Aliyev, President of the Legal Education Society (LES), Azerbaijan, was today named the winner of the 2015 International Bar Association (IBA) Human Rights Award. The Award was presented by IBA President, David W Rivkin. A political prisoner in Azerbaijan, Mr Aliyev was unable to collect the Award in person. His son and daughter travelled to Vienna and collected the Award, on Friday 9 October, on his behalf. For more on the IBA award: http://www.brandsaviors.com/thedigest/award/iba-human-rights-award
In a letter read by his son Necmin Kamilsoy, Mr Aliyev said, ‘When I heard about this prestigious Award, I felt honour and happiness with sadness at the same time. Today, in my country, my friends, colleagues, conscientious people, are facing prosecutions, pressures, and imprisonments. They deserve this award at least as much as I do. Therefore, I am accepting this award on behalf of them. I share my deep gratitude with the IBA for appreciating my efforts in such a way, as well as with all organisations that nominated me for this award.’
Mr Aliyev won earlier the Homo Homini Award (2012). https://thoolen.wordpress.com/2013/03/07/azerbaijan-harasses-human-rights-defenders-even-the-recipient-of-the-homo-homini-award/
To read Mr Aliyev’s acceptance letter in full click here.
Source: HRI – Intigam Aliyev receives IBA Human Rights Award 2015 for outstanding contribution to human rights
Posted in awards, human rights, Human Rights Defenders | Leave a Comment »
Tags: Azerbaijan, David W Rivkin, digest of human rights awards, Homo Homini Award, human rights award, Human Rights Defenders, human rights lawyer, IBA, illegal detention, International Bar Association Human Rights Award, Intigam Aliyev, Legal Education Society (LES)
October 7, 2015
The 2015 Rafto Prize has been awarded to the Honduran priest, radio activist and human rights defender Ismael Moreno Coto, better known as Padre Melo. The Prize is awarded in recognition of his use of the media in defense of freedom of expression and fundamental rights in Honduras, a country plagued by extreme violence.
Activities around this important Norwegian prize are:
- the 2015 Rafto Conference on Saturday 31 October 10 am at Radisson Blu Hotel Norge (the banquet hall) in Bergen [free of charge, but registration here before 28 October].
- the 2015 Rafto Prize Award Ceremony on Sunday 1 November 6 pm at Den Nationale Scene, Bergen in honour of Laureate Padre Melo, with artistic contributions from Norwegian artists.
For more on this award: http://www.brandsaviors.com/thedigest/award/rafto-prize
For any inquiries, please contact Project Coordinator Liv Unni Stuhaug: livunni.stuhaug@rafto.no
Read more about this year’s Rafto Prize Laureate here.
Posted in awards, human rights, Human Rights Defenders | Leave a Comment »
Tags: Bergen, cleric, digest of human rights awards, freedom of expression, Honduras, human rights award, Human Rights Defenders, Ismael Moreno Coto, Norway, Padre Melo, Rafto award
October 6, 2015
October seems to be very much the season of awards. Tonight is the MEA announcement and yesterday UNHCR presented the 2015 Nansen Refugee Award to Afghan refugee teacher Aqeela Asifi:
© UNHCR/M Henley
Aqeela Asifi made it her mission over more than 20 years in exile to bring education to refugee girls in a remote community in Pakistan. Asifi has been recognised for her tireless dedication to education for Afghan refugee girls in the Kot Chandana refugee village in Mianwali, Pakistan – while herself overcoming the struggles of life in exile. Despite minimal resources and significant cultural challenges, Asifi has guided a thousand refugee girls through their primary education.
“When I first set up my school I was not very optimistic. This success is beyond my expectations. Let the dove of peace be our messenger, let us shun the culture of war and weapons and let us promote the culture of pen and education. That’s the only way, my dear brothers and sisters, that we can bring peace and prosperity to our country.” Asifi said.
The Award ceremony, in Geneva’s Bâtiment des Forces Motrices, featured performances from UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador and two-time Grammy winner, Angelique Kidjo, and UNHCR Honorary Lifetime Goodwill Ambassador, Barbara Hendricks.
More about the Nansen award: http://www.brandsaviors.com/thedigest/award/nansen-medal
To learn more about Aqeela’s story: here
Source: UNHCR – UNHCR presents Nansen Refugee Award to Afghan refugee teacher
Posted in awards, human rights, UN | 1 Comment »
Tags: Afghanistan, Aqeela Asifi, awards, Barbara Hendricks, digest of human rights awards, Education, Geneva, Nansen medal, Nansen Refugee Award, Pakistan, refugees
October 2, 2015
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe has awarded its annual Vaclav Havel Human Rights Prize to veteran Russian activist Ludmilla Alexeeva, 88, at a special ceremony in Strasbourg on the opening day of its fall plenary session on 28 September 2015.
“Ludmilla Alexeeva has inspired many generations of activists in Russia, but also abroad, to commit themselves to the struggle for justice” – PACE President Anne Brasseur, chair of the selection panel, said presenting the award on 28 September. In her youth, Alexeeva gave up an academic career to join the Soviet dissident movement, going on to become a founding member of the Moscow Helsinki Group in 1976. A year later, she was forced to emigrate to the United States. Alexeeva returned to Russia in 1989 and became the International Helsinki Foundation president and later joined the Russian presidential human rights commission. At a demonstration in Moscow’s Triumfalnaya Square in 2010 against restrictions on the freedom of assembly, the by then 82-year-old head of the Moscow Helsinki group, received a severe blow to the head.
Alexeeva told the Assembly that for her receiving the prize was a “recognition of all Russian human rights defenders who work in very hard circumstances”. She also condemned the so-called foreign-agent law adopted in 2012, which she said aimed at “destroying” civil society groups. [Critics say the Russian government is using the foreign-agent law to hound non-governmental organizations that are critical of the Kremlin. As of June, there were 67 organizations deemed as such by Russia’s Ministry of Justice, including Transparency International and the Sakharov Center.]
Source: Russian Rights Activist Awarded Vaclav Havel Prize – Transitions Online
for info on this award: http://www.brandsaviors.com/thedigest/award/václav-havel-prize-human-rights
Posted in awards, human rights, Human Rights Defenders | 1 Comment »
Tags: Anne Brasseur, Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly, digest of human rights awards, human rights award, Human Rights Defenders, Ludmilla Alexeeva, Moscow Helsinki Group, PACE, Vaclav Havel Human Rights Prize, woman human rights defender
September 10, 2015
Transparency in the composition of the jury of human rights awards is not always very high, so the announcement by the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the composition of its 2105 Tulip jury is to be welcomed:
Ugandan Margaret Sekaggya is to chair the jury. She is a human rights lawyer who from 2008 until 2014 was UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights Defenders. She is the founder and Executive Director of the Human Rights Centre Uganda and sits on the Board of a number of NGOs, including True Heroes Films.
Ales Bialiatski is a distinguished human rights defender from Belarus and the founder of the Viasna Human Rights Center.
Nicola Jägers is a professor international human rights law and her research is mainly focused on the expansion of trade beyond borders and the universaling effects of the human rights movement.
Shahzad Ahmed has made his voice known by fighting against online censorship in Pakistan.
Amira Yahyaoui is a Tunisian blogger, activist and founder of the NGO Al Bawsala.
For more on awards, see: https://thoolen.wordpress.com/2013/11/27/my-post-number-1000-human-rights-awards-finally-made-accessible-for-and-by-true-heroes/
Source: Human rights defender Margaret Sekaggya Sekaggya to chair the Human Rights Tulip 2015 Jury | News item | Human Rights Tulip
Posted in awards, human rights, Human Rights Defenders | Leave a Comment »
Tags: Ales Bialiatski, Amira Yahyaoui, digest of human rights awards, human rights awards, Human Rights Defenders, Jury, Margaret Sekaggya, Nicola Jägers, Shahzad Ahmed, The Tulip Award, Tulip award, Uganda
July 28, 2015
The 2015 Sergio Vieira de Mello Prize goes to the Interfaith Peace Platform for the work achieved to reconcile religious groups in the hope of reaching a lasting peace in Central African Republic (CAR), a country devastated by a war between fractions.
The award [see: http://www.brandsaviors.com/thedigest/award/sergio-vieira-de-mello-prize] was established in Sergio Vieira de Mello’s memory, who was killed in the UN compound bombing in Bagdad on 19 August 2003.
The Interfaith Platform promotes dialogue as a preventive measure against religious violence and a means to pursue peace across CAR. It was established in 2013 by representatives of the three most important religions in the country, the Catholic Archbishop of Bangui, Mgr. Dieudonné Nzapalainga, the President of the Islamic Council in CAR, Imam Oumar Kobine Layama and by the President of the Evangelical Alliance, Pastor Nicolas Guérékoyaméné-Gbangou. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in awards, Human Rights Defenders | Leave a Comment »
Tags: awards, CAR, Central African Republic, conflict resolution, digest of human rights awards, Geneva, human rights awards, interfaith, Interfaith Peace Platform, MINUSCA, peace, religious hatred, religious violence, sectarian violence, Sergio Vieira de Mello, Sergio Vieira de Mello Prize, world humanitarian day
July 23, 2015
On 16 July 2015 Assistant-Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor – Tom Malinowski – presented the 2014 Human Rights Defenders Award to Azimjon Askarov of Kyrgyzstan and Foro Penal, a NGO from Venezuela, in the Treaty Room at the U.S. Department of State.
For more information on this award see: http://www.brandsaviors.com/thedigest/award/freedom-defenders-award-us-state (note: the name varies).
Azimjon Askarov is known for trying to bring together people of all ethnicities especially Uzbeks and Kyrgyz. He is serving a life sentence for alleged involvement in the killing of a police officer. He won the 2010 Homo Homini award and was a Final Nominee for the MEA in 2011. Due to Mr. Askarov’s imprisonment, his son, Sherzod, accepted the award on his behalf.
Foro Penal, a Venezuelan pro-bono network of over 200 lawyers and 1,000 human rights defenders, advocates for human rights and rule of law in Venezuela and abroad. With severe restrictions on the media and internet access, Foro Penal provided timely, critical, and independent information during the 2014 protests, and continues to defend and promote human rights despite risk of government suppression. Founder and Director Gonzalo Himiob and Executive Director Alfredo Romero accepted on behalf of Foro Penal.
For the backlash created in the case of Mr Askarov see my next post.
Posted in awards, human rights, Human Rights Defenders, MEA | 3 Comments »
Tags: Alfredo Romero, Askarov, Azimjon Askarov, digest of human rights awards, Foro Penal, freedom of expression, Gonzalo Himiob, human rights awards, Human Rights Defenders, Human Rights Defenders Award, Kyrgyzstan, reconciliation, Tom Malinowski, US State Department, Uzbek, Venezuela
June 24, 2015
New Tactics in Human Rights is currently having an on-line conversation on “The Use of Photography in Advancing Human Rights“. It lasts until 26 June.
New Tactics in Human Rights.
Posted in awards, films, human rights, Human Rights Defenders, New Tactics | Leave a Comment »
Tags: anthropographia award, digest of human rights awards, human rights awards, images, information technology, New Tactics in Human Rights, NGOs, on-line conversations, photography, teaching, THF, tools
June 15, 2015
Nominations for the 2015 Human Rights Tulip award for human rights defenders are now, Monday 15 June, welcome. For more information on this award see: http://www.brandsaviors.com/thedigest/award/tulip-award.
Deadline for nominations 16 July, to tulip@hivos.org which is hosting the logistic secretariat.
There is a short video on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cD3KD-jniuM can help encourage people to nominate.
Please see also: Home | Human Rights Tulip.
Posted in awards, human rights, Human Rights Defenders | Leave a Comment »
Tags: awards, digest of human rights awards, human rights award, Human Rights Defenders, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Netherlands, nominations, Tulip award
June 14, 2015
Waleed Abu al-Khair (twitter)
Waleed Abu al-Khair, a human rights defender from Saudi Arabia has won the 2015 Ludovic Trarieux Prize, a prestigious award for human rights lawyers [for more info on the award see: http://www.brandsaviors.com/thedigest/award/ludovic-trarieux-international-human-rights-prize]. Waleed Abu al-Khair is a long-standing campaigner (started the Monitor of Human Rights in Saudi Arabia – MHRSA) and was given a 15-year jail sentence by a Jeddah court last year, in a ruling that Human Rights Watch (HRW), Front Line and many others have heavily criticized [https://thoolen.wordpress.com/tag/waleed-abu-al-khair/].
Currently in jail himself, Al-Khair represented prominent blogger (and brother-in-law) Raif Badawi who has been jailed for 10 years and sentenced to 1,000 lashes. [https://thoolen.wordpress.com/2015/06/07/saudi-court-upholds-bloggers-10-years-and-1000-lashes/]
Bertrand Favreau, the founder of the Ludovic Trarieux Prize, told AFP the award goes to those who “through their work, activities or suffering defend the respect for human rights“.
https://wabolkhairen.wordpress.com/2015/05/31/a-letter-to-the-saudi-king-from-the-law-society-in-england-and-wales-regarding-waleedabualkhair/
Saudi Arabia: jailed blogger Raif Badawi’s lawyer Waleed Abu al-Khair wins human rights award.
Posted in awards, Front Line, HRW, human rights, Human Rights Defenders | 3 Comments »
Tags: AFP, Bertrand Favreau, blogger, digest of human rights awards, Front Line, HRW, human rights awards, human rights lawyers, Ludovic Trarieux Prize, Ludovic-Trarieux International Human Rights Prize, Monitor of Human Rights in Saudi Arabia - MHRSA, Raif Badawi, Saudi Arabia, UK, Waleed Abu Al-Khair
Hans Thoolen on Human Rights Defenders and their awards 