Posts Tagged ‘digest of human rights awards’
October 29, 2014
Adilur Rahman Khan addresses IBA annual conference in Tokyo, Japan. Photo: AHRC Press Centre
Bangladesh human rights defender Adilur Rahman Khan, of the human rights organisation Odhikar, has won the 2014 International Bar Association (IBA) Human Rights Award.
Adilur received the award from IBA President Michael Reynolds at the Rule of Law Symposium held at the conclusion of the IBA Annual Conference in Tokyo, which finished on 24 October. In October 1994, he founded the human rights organisation Odhikar, which has undertaken extensive fact-finding and reporting of human rights violations in Bangladesh. During the presentation of the award, Reynolds said, “Let us be reminded that lawyers play a vital role in promoting justice, human rights and upholding the rule of law, both at home and abroad. May Mr Khan’s courage, determination and resilience be an inspiration to lawyers everywhere.”In his acceptance speech, Adilur told the 200 delegates gathered at the Symposium, ‘The Rule of Law is under serious threat in my country. Justice for all the ongoing gross human rights violations is inaccessible for victims and their families. Their right to access to complaint mechanisms is denied, regardless of whatever is written in the laws or the Constitution of the country”. Repressive laws are in force and the independence of the judiciary is under attack in a spree of politicisation of institutions of the state, he added.
via Adilur gets IBA int’l human rights award.
Posted in awards, human rights, Human Rights Defenders, MEA | 1 Comment »
Tags: Adilur Rahman Khan, awards, Bangladesh, digest of human rights awards, human rights award, Human Rights Defenders, human rights lawyers, human rights violations, IBA, International Bar Association, JFK human rights award, MEA final nominee 2014, recognition, THF
October 12, 2014
(ASL19, founded by Iranian-Canadian Ali Karimzadeh Bangi, develops ways for Iranians to counter the country’s “Great Firewall” of censorship – COLIN MCCONNELL / TORONTO STAR)
The prize aims to reward groups that use innovation to promote human rights. Of the 30 shortlisted candidates, ASL19, founded by Iranian-Canadian Ali Karimzadeh Bangi, is running fourth.
The remainder of the article sets out how the group helps Iranians to evade censorship.
Canadian web defenders up for top human rights award | Toronto Star.
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Tags: Ali Karimzadeh Bangi, ASL19, Canada, censorship, digest of human rights awards, human rights awards, Information security, information technology, innovation, internet, Iran, Netherlands, on-line, The Tulip Award, Toronto Star
October 12, 2014
will honor Ryan Boyette, a human rights advocate based in Sudan, with its 2014 Human Rights First Award. Boyette is recognized for his courageous work documenting and drawing international attention to the ongoing attacks against civilians by the Sudanese government in conflicts largely hidden from worldview. The organization will present the Award at its annual gala on 22 October in New York. Human Rights First’s CEO Elisa Massimino stated: “We are inspired by Ryan’s commitment to keep the eyes of the world on the human rights crisis in southern Sudan.” Read the rest of this entry »
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Tags: awards, conflict and peace, digest of human rights awards, Elisa Massimino, HRF, human rights award, Human rights defender, Human Rights First, journalists, media, monitoring, New York, reporting, Ryan Boyette, Sudan, THF
October 11, 2014
More on awards: The winner of the 2014 Raw in War Anna Politkovskaya award is Kurdish Yazidi member of Iraq parliament Vian Dakhil .On Monday 6 October, RAW in WAR (Reach All Women in WAR) selected Vian Dakhil who has courageously spoken out and campaigned to protect the Yazidi people from the terror of Islamic State. She is the only ethnic Yazidi in the Iraqi Parliament and, despite being injured in a helicopter crash while delivering aid to survivors on Mt Sinjar, she continues to advocate and to mobilize support for her people, for the refugees and for those trapped in towns and villages under the regime of Islamic State. “I make no secret of the fact that I’m proud to be honored with your esteemed award, but the real way to honor someone is by protecting their freedom and rights. It is by bringing our prisoners back,’ said Dakhil in her speech while receiving the award.
Previous women human rights defenders who received this award: Malala Yousafzai 2013, Marie Colvin 2012, Razan Zaitouneh 2011, Dr. Halima Bashir 2010, Leila Alikarami on behalf of the One Million Signatures Campaign for Equality in Iran 2009, Malalai Joya 2008 and Natalia Estemirova 2007. See also: http://www.trueheroesfilms.org/thedigest/awards
via Kurdish Yazidi Woman Wins International Award | BAS NEWS.
Posted in awards, human rights, Human Rights Defenders | 1 Comment »
Tags: Anna Politkovskaya, conflict and peace, digest of human rights awards, human rights awards, Iraq, ISIS, islamic fundamentalists, Islamic State, Kurdish cause, Kurdish Yazidi, Malala Yousafzai, RAW in WAR, terrorism, Vian Dakhil, woman human rights defender, women human rights defenders, Yazidi
October 11, 2014
October is awards season, so you should know that the 2014 Andrei Sakharov Freedom Award recognizes 98 political prisoners in Azerbaijan. [Note : there is also the European Parliament’s Sakharov Prize – of more info please go to: http://www.trueheroesfilms.org/thedigest/awards]
The Norwegian Helsinki Committee’s Secretary General, Bjørn Engesland, announced the award in Oslo on 6 October, noting the sad fact that Azerbaijan’s political prisoners “are too numerous to all be mentioned here.” The Committee has documented 98 political prisoners, among them 13 journalists and bloggers. In addition, the prisoners include 10 human rights defenders and civil society activists, nine youth activists, a prominent opposition leader, “and many other opposing voices and religious activists.” The Committee noted that Azerbaijan assumed the Presidency of the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers this year.“Just weeks after Azerbaijan took over the chairmanship in May 2014, a new wave of detention of activists started. In what appears as a sign of contempt against the Council of Europe institutions, this wave in particular hit human rights defenders who have worked hard with the Council for the recognition and release of Azerbaijani political prisoners.
via Sakharov Prize Goes to Azeri Political Prisoners.
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Tags: Andrei Sakharov Freedom Award, Azerbaijan, Azeri, bloggers, Council of Europe, digest of human rights awards, freedom of expression, Human Rights Defenders, journalists, Norwegian Helsinki Committee, Oslo, political prisoners, Sakharov Prize
October 11, 2014
You will have learned this already from the main news media, but to bee complete in the area of human rights awards: On Friday 10 October the Nobel Peace Prize 2014 was awarded to India‘s Kailash Satyarthi and Pakistan‘s Malala Yousafzai for their struggles against the violations of the rights of children. As the chairman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, said, “Children must go to school, not be financially exploited.”
Malala Yousafzai came to global attention after she was shot in the head by the Taliban — two years ago Thursday — for her efforts to promote education for girls in Pakistan. Since then, after surgery, she has won several high level human rights awards and now the Peace Prize. [https://thoolen.wordpress.com/2013/10/10/malala-collects-another-award-sacharov-instead-of-snowden/]
Satyarthi, age 60, has shown great personal courage in heading peaceful demonstrations focusing on the grave exploitation of children for financial gain, the committee said. Satyarthi told reporters that the award was about many more people than him — and that credit should go to all those “sacrificing their time and their lives for the cause of child rights” and fighting child slavery.
The peace aspect of the Prize is double this year: Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in awards, human rights, Human Rights Defenders | 2 Comments »
Tags: 2014, awards, digest of human rights awards, hindu, human rights awards, Human Rights Defenders, India, Kailash Satyarthi, Malala Yousafzai, Muslim, Nobel Peace Prize, Pakistan, peace prize, right to education, rights of children, THF
September 25, 2014
Honorary Awards goes to EDWARD SNOWDEN (USA) “for his courage and skill in revealing the unprecedented extent of state surveillance violating basic democratic processes and constitutional rights” and ALAN RUSBRIDGER (UK) “for building a global media organisation dedicated to responsible journalism in the public interest, undaunted by the challenges of exposing corporate and government malpractices”.
Three other Laureates will equally share the cash award of SEK 1.5 million:
ASMA JAHANGIR (Pakistan) “for defending, protecting and promoting human rights in Pakistan and more widely, often in very difficult and complex situations and at great personal risk”.
BASIL FERNANDO/ASIAN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION (Hong Kong) “for his tireless and outstanding work to support and document the implementation of human rights in Asia”.
BILL McKIBBEN (USA) “for mobilising growing popular support in the USA and around the world for strong action to counter the threat of global climate change”.
The Foundation will also fund legal support for Edward Snowden.
Ole von Uexkull, Executive Director of the Right Livelihood Award Foundation, said: “This year’s Right Livelihood Laureates are stemming the tide of the most dangerous global trends. With this year’s Awards, we want to send a message of urgent warning that these trends – illegal mass surveillance of ordinary citizens, the violation of human and civil rights, violent manifestations of religious fundamentalism, and the decline of the planet’s life-supporting systems – are very much upon us already. If they are allowed to continue, and reinforce each other, they have the power to undermine the basis of civilised societies. But the Laureates also demonstrate that the choice is entirely in our hands: by courageous acts of civil disobedience in the public interest, through principled and undeterred journalism, by upholding the rule of law and documenting each violation of it, and by building social movements to resist the destruction of our natural environment, we can turn the tide and build our common future on the principles of freedom, justice, and respect for the Earth.”
The Awards will be presented at a ceremony in the Swedish Parliament on December 1.
http://www.trueheroesfilms.org/thedigest/awards
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Tags: Alan Rusbridger, Asian Human Rights Commission, Asma Jahangir, Basil Fernando, digest of human rights awards, Edward Snowden, human rights awards, Human Rights Defenders, Pakistan, Right Livelihood Award, Sweden, THF
September 22, 2014
7 nominees for the European Parliament’s 2014 Sakharov Prize for freedom of thought, chosen by political groups and groups of MEPs, will be presented at a meeting of the Foreign Affairs and Development committees and the Human Rights Subcommittee on 23 September. The laureate will be decided by political group leaders and Parliament’s President on 16 October. The award ceremony takes place in Strasbourg on 26 November. The nominees in alphabetical order are [for more information on human rights awards: http://www.trueheroesfilms.org/thedigest/awards]
- Mahmoud Al ‘Asali post mortem and Louis Raphael Sako, nominated by the ECR group, Anna Záborská and 66 other MEPs,
- Mouad Belghouate, Ala Yaacoubi and Alaa Abdel Fattah, nominated by the GUE/NGL group,
- CHREDO, Open Doors, Oeuvre dOrient and Aid to the Church in Need, nominated by Philippe Juvin and 60 other MEPs,
- EuroMaidan, represented by Mustafa Nayem, Ruslana Lyzhychko, Yelyzaveta Schepetylnykova and Tetiana Chornovo, nominated by Jacek Saryusz-Wolski and 52 other MEPs,
- Ayaan Hirsi Ali, nominated by the EFDD group,
- Denis Mukwege, nominated by the S&D and ALDE groups and Barbara Lochbihler, and
- Leyla Yunus, nominated by The Greens/EFA group and Alexander Graf Lambsdorff, Marietje Schaake and Ramon Tremosa.
via Nominees for Sakharov Prize 2014 announced.
Posted in awards, EU, human rights, Human Rights Defenders | 2 Comments »
Tags: awards, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Denis Mukwege, digest of human rights awards, European Parliament, human rights awards, Human Rights Defenders, Leyla Yunus, MEPs, Sacharov, Sakharov Prize, Strasbourg
September 14, 2014
The Israeli group of human rights defenders, B’Tselem, has been awarded the 2014 Stockholm Human Rights Award by the International Legal Assistance Consortium, the Swedish Bar Association and the International Bar Association [for more information on the Stockholm Human Rights Award see: http://www.trueheroesfilms.org/thedigest/award/stockholm-human-rights-award].
The press release of 14 September states: “Promoting human rights standards from inside one’s country requires an unwavering willingness to endure criticism from within, regardless of potential repercussions. Maintaining integrity and dignity is at the core of human rights defense. B’Tselem has shown international light on human rights violations in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories, providing a voice to victims and calling for accountability. It is commendable that B’Tselem has so tirelessly fought to uphold human rights in an environment where its criticism has not always been welcome.”
via BTselem awarded the 2014 Stockholm Human Rights Award | BTselem.
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Tags: award, B’Tselem, digest of human rights awards, Human Rights Defenders, Israel, Israeli-occupied territories, Palestinian people, stockholm human rights award, Swedish Bar Association, True Heroes Films
September 4, 2014
Pan-African Human Rights Defenders Network (PAHRD–Net) has opened a call for nominations for the 2nd Edition of its human rights defenders awards. The awards will honor exceptional individuals who peacefully promote and protect universally recognized rights as stated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights. Altogether six awards will be presented, one overall award and five sub-regional awards:
– Pan-African Human Rights Defenders Award
– East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders Award
– West Africa Human Rights Defenders Award
– Southern Africa Human Rights Defenders Award
– Central Africa Human Rights Defenders Award
– Northern Africa Human Rights Defenders Award
Both individuals and organizations are eligible for the award. Nominations should be received not later than 20 September 2014.
Please use the following forms [CONTROL/CLICK] : English | French
Submissions can be made in Arabic, French, English or Portuguese. Return your nomination to hrdawards@defenddefenders.org.
Awards include support to the human rights work of the winning individual or organisation. The winners will be selected by an independent jury and the awards will be presented to the winners at the occasion of the Ordinary Session of the Africa Commission on Human and People’s Rights
http://www.defenddefenders.org/
for more on human rights awards see: http://www.trueheroesfilms.org/thedigest/awards
Posted in awards, human rights, Human Rights Defenders | 2 Comments »
Tags: Africa, african region, awards, digest of human rights awards, human rights awards, Human Rights Defenders, Pan-African Human Rights Defenders Network (PAHRD–Net), protection, THF
Hans Thoolen on Human Rights Defenders and their awards 