Posts Tagged ‘Gwangju Prize for Human Rights’
August 13, 2020
The May 18 Memorial Foundation announces the call for 2021 nominations for the following Prizes:
1) The Gwangju Prize for Human Rights (GPHR): It carries a cash award of $ 50,000 USD.
2) The Special Prize of the GPHR (SPGPHR): It carries a cash award of $ 10,000 USD.
For more about these awards, see: http://www.trueheroesfilms.org/thedigest/awards/gwangju-prize-for-human-rights
A nomination for the GPHR can be submitted by any individual or organization who meets the nomination criteria. Any nomination is considered valid if it is submitted by a person or an organization that falls within one of the following categories:
1) Individuals or organizations who won the May 18 Citizens Award and/or YunSang-won Award
2) Laureates of Gwangju Prize for Human Rights
3) Organizations in Korea or overseas working for human rights, peace, and the reunification of Korea that have been active three years or more and that the May 18 Memorial Foundation Directorate decides to request their nomination
4) Any individual or organization in Korea or overseas that agrees on the purpose of the GPHR
The May 18 Memorial Foundation is responsible for the selection of eligible candidates and the choice of the GPHR. The selection committee is composed of seven members who are designated by the May 18 Memorial Foundation’s Articles of Association. The rest of the procedure will abide by the Articles of Association.
Deadline: 30 September, 2020.
See also: https://humanrightsdefenders.blog/2019/05/19/gwangju-human-rights-award-2019-to-philippine-carino-and-indonesian-choir/
http://e-pao.net/epSubPageExtractor.asp?src=announcements.Ann_2020.Call_for_Nomination_Gwangju_Prize_for_Human_Right_2021
Posted in awards, Human Rights Defenders | Leave a Comment »
Tags: call for nominations, digest of human rights awards, Gwangju Prize for Human Rights, human rights awards, May 18 Memorial Foundation, South Korea
May 19, 2019
For those – like me – who missed the announcement of the winners of the Gwangju human rights awards 2019, here a belated post. [For more on this award see:http://trueheroesfilms.org/thedigest/awards/gwangju-prize-for-human-rights]. The winner is the Philippine human rights defender Joanna Carino.
The Jury said “Carino has created a great sensation for her unyielding strife and sacrifice in fighting against suppression and made a favorable impression on many citizens and activists today.”
The biennial special award went to Indonesia’s Dialita Choir, made up of women whose parents, relatives and friends were captured, tortured and exiled during the 1965-1966 communist purge in the Southeast Asian country. The members of Dialita co-initiate social change through singing performances. The award ceremony was on 18 May 2019 as part of events to mark the 39th anniversary of the democratic uprising. Hundreds of citizens were killed in the southwestern city during protests against the military junta of Gen. Chun Doo-hwan in May 1980.
Posted in awards, Human Rights Defenders | 2 Comments »
Tags: Dialita Choir, digest of human rights awards, Gwangju Prize for Human Rights, human rights awards, Human rights defender, Joanna Carino, music, Philippines, reconciliation, women human rights defender
April 16, 2019
Bulatlat in the Philippines has the ‘honor’ to report on human rights awards given to two women human rights defenders in the Philippines.
Joanna Patricia Kintanar Cariño (File photo by Noel Godinez/Northern Dispatch)
Filipina human rights defender, Joanna Patricia Kintanar Cariño, has been named as this year’s recipient of Gwangju Prize for Human Rights. Cariño is the founding secretary general and the current advisory council of Cordillera Peoples Alliance (CPA), regional council member of the Cordillera Human Rights Alliance (CHRA) and chairperson of SELDA-North Luzon, an organization of former political prisoners. For more on the Gwangju Prize for Human Rights see: http://www.trueheroesfilms.org/thedigest/awards/gwangju-prize-for-human-rights
Cariño is among the 600 individuals listed in the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) so-called terror list, which seeks to proscribe the Communist Party of the Philippines and the New People’s Army as terrorist organizations. Cariño, together with other activists who were included in the list, fought for the removal of their names and in January this year, the DOJ has acted by finally removing the names of scores of activists and human rights defenders in the Cordillera region. [see also: https://humanrightsdefenders.blog/2017/12/07/women-human-rights-defenders-day-2017-an-anthology/]
The Foundation recognizes Cariño’s track record as human rights defender from the time of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos up to the present. “She has been illegally arrested, detained and harassed for being tireless and vigorous in the indigenous people’s fight against militarization of their communities,” the Foundation said in their statement.
——————–
Trade union worker France Castro was awarded the Arthur Svensson international Prize for Trade Union Rights [for more on this award, see: http://www.trueheroesfilms.org/thedigest/awards/arthur-svensson-international-prize-for-trade-union-rights]
In its statement, the Svensson Foundation described Castro as a brave leader who defies threats and dangerous condition. “Despite threats and persecution, there are brave people fighting for democracy and human rights. The regime has particularly attacked unionists among teachers and journalists. Some are killed and many imprisoned. Death threats are not uncommon. In recent times, police officers in the Philippines have been running an organized campaign where they are herding and publishing information on unionized teachers,” Svensson Foundation said in a statement referring to the profiling of the public school teachers, particularly the members of the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) by the Philippine National Police (PNP). Castro was also among those who were detained by the Talaingod police last November 2018, together with former Bayan Muna Rep. Satur Ocampo and Lumad teachers, students and administrator, for defending Lumad’s right to education The Foundation also took notice of Castro’s role in the fight for public school teachers’ rights and welfare.
—
https://www.bulatlat.com/2019/04/16/progressive-solon-wins-international-award-for-championing-union-rights/
Posted in awards, human rights, Human Rights Defenders | Leave a Comment »
Tags: Arthur Svensson international Prize for Trade Union Rights, digest of human rights awards, France Castro, Gwangju Prize for Human Rights, human rights awards, Joanna Patricia Kintanar Cariño, labour rights, Philippines, South Korea, trade unionists, women human rights defenders
December 7, 2018
The May 18 Memorial Foundation is pleased to announce the call for 2019 nominations for the following Prizes:
1. The Gwangju Prize for Human Rights (GPHR): It carries a cash award of $ 50,000 USD.
2. The Special Prize of the GPHR (SPGPHR): It carries a cash award of $ 10,000 USD.
Since 2000, the Foundation has been bestowing the ‘Gwangju Prize for Human Rights’ to individuals, groups and institutions in Korea and abroad that have contributed in promoting and advancing human rights, democracy and peace in their work. Last year’s: https://humanrightsdefenders.blog/2017/12/18/award-winning-bersih-2-0-saw-speech-censored-by-taiwan-award-giver/
See also: http://trueheroesfilms.org/thedigest/awards/gwangju-prize-for-human-rights
SPGPHR is for an individual or an organization that has contributed to the promotion of democracy and human rights through cultural activities, journalism, and in academic fields. These prizes are awarded by the citizens of Gwangju in the spirit of solidarity and gratitude to those who have helped them in their struggle for democratization and their search for truth. It is hoped that through this award, the spirit and message of May 18 will be immortalized in the hearts and minds of humankind.
Selection of the GPHR and SPGPHR
The May 18 Memorial Foundation is responsible for the selection of eligible candidates and the choice of the GPHR and the SPGPHR laureates. The selection committee is composed of seven members who are designated by the May 18 Memorial Foundation’s Articles of Association. The rest of the procedure will abide by the Articles of Association.
Deadline: December 31, 2018 (by 24:00 Korea time)
Required Submission Documents
i) Nomination Form (Download the attachment)
ii) Two ID Pictures (paste them on the designated spots)
iii) Other materials that can substantiate your activities and eligibility for the award
iv) How & to Whom: Via E-mail to gwangjuprize@gmail.com
Submission Confirmation
E-mail confirming the receipt and validity of the submitted nomination will be sent out to the nominator once the submission is complete.
—
For more information, please visit http://eng.518.org/ or email to gwangjuprize@gmail.com.
see also: https://humanrightsdefenders.blog/2017/11/01/asian-peoples-charter-for-human-rights-needs-updating/
Posted in awards, Human Rights Defenders | Leave a Comment »
Tags: call for nominations, digest of human rights awards, Gwangju Prize for Human Rights, human rights awards, May 18 Memorial Foundation, South Korea
December 18, 2017
How sensitive human rights awards can be is shown again in the case of Taiwan’s Asia Democracy and Human Rights Award. The award (see: http://trueheroesfilms.org/thedigest/awards/asia-democracy-and-human-rights-award) is technically independent but closely related to the Government, which probably explains why the part concerning the “1MDB” corruption scandal in Malaysia was deleted from Maria Chin Abdullah’s acceptance speech.
[Parts of Bersih 2.0 chairman Maria Chin Abdullah’s acceptance speech when accepting the Asia Democracy and Human Rights Award in Taiwan last week were censored by organisers. A copy of the speech made available by the electoral reforms coalition today showed the censored portion was on state investment fund 1MDB and the allegations of corruption plaguing Prime Minister Najib Razak’s administration. The section of the speech, titled “Unfettered corruption”, was removed “due to diplomatic sensitivity”, the coalition said.]
Bersih 2.0 received the Asia Democracy and Human Rights Award on 10 December 2017. The event was attended by Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen, Taiwan Foundation for Democracy chairman Su Jia-chyuan, the foundation’s president Hsu Szu-chien and civil society leaders. Bersih 2.0 received earlier the Gwangju award: https://humanrightsdefenders.blog/2016/04/26/malaysian-bersih-2-0-walk-for-democracy-wins-gwangju-human-rights-award/
Maria in her speech also touched on the lack of freedom of expression, attacks against human rights defenders, and the government’s use of laws such as the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2015 (Sosma). She charged that hate politics was part of a strategy to vilify rights activists. “The politics of hate, religious intolerance and exclusion, which adversely affect the freedom and human rights, are used against human rights defenders. Yet, impunity against wrong doers is not addressed,” she said, adding that change was still a long road ahead. “Malaysians’ voices are loud and clear – racial hostility, generated hatred, intolerance, violence and poverty have no place in our nation…Our clarion call: They can jail us. They can beat us up. But, they can never break our spirit”.
http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2017/12/18/human-rights-award-taiwan-censors-bersih-chiefs-speech/
Posted in awards, Human Rights Defenders | 1 Comment »
Tags: Asia Democracy and Human Rights Award, Bersih 2.0, censorship, digest of human rights awards, Gwangju Prize for Human Rights, human rights award, Malaysia, Maria Chin Abdullah, Taiwan, Taiwan Foundation for Democracy
August 16, 2017
{While authorities did not file charges or even a complaint against the London-based BBC for publishing the article, only Jatupat was arrested. His bail requests were consistently rejected as authorities regarded lèse majesté as a serious charge possibly entailing severe punishment. Domestic and international campaigns over recent months have failed to free him on bail. Prior to the court judgment, Jatupat, who had maintained his innocence for months, agreed to plead guilty after consulting with his family and legal team to get a more lenient sentence.}
“It appears that Jatupat was singled out, from thousands of people who shared the BBC article, and prosecuted for his strong opposition to military rule rather than any harm incurred by the monarchy,” said Brad Adams, Asia Director at Human Rights Watch. “His guilty verdict and jail sentence show yet again how Thailand’s draconian ‘insulting the monarchy’ law has been misused to punish dissenters.”
Source: Activist ‘Pai Dao Din’ jailed for 2-and-a-half years on BBC Thai article lese majeste charge
Posted in awards, Front Line, HRW, human rights, Human Rights Defenders | Leave a Comment »
Tags: BBC, Brad Adams, detention, freedom of expression, Front Line (NGO), Gwangju Prize for Human Rights, human right defender, Jatupat Boonpattararaksa, lese majeste, Pai Dao Din, Thailand
May 10, 2017
The Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs gets upset easily as shown by the reaction to the granting of the 2017 Gwangju Prize for Human Rights (South Korea) to detained student activist Jatupat Boonpattararaksa, better known as Pai Dao Din. He has been in prison in Khon Kaen on lese majeste and computer crime charges since 22 December 2015, when 10 Khon Kaen University’s students from “Dao Din” group were arrested at the Khon Kaen Democracy Monument.
Pai Dao Din a day after the Khon Kaen court denied him bail again (FB/Jom Petchpradab)
Now the Thai ambassador to Seoul has written to the human rights award giver in South Korea asking it to ‘reconsider ‘ honouring jailed activist Jatupat Boonpattararaksa.
In a copy of the letter was acquired by the Bangkok Post (copy below):
The detained defender had been hoping to make bail so he could attend the award presentation ceremony in person, but his request was denied. In refusing Mr Jatupat’s bail requests, the Region 4 court and Khon Kaen Provincial Court described him as a flight risk who could tamper with evidence. The laureate is thus unlikely to be abel to travel on 18 May to the award ceremony in Gwangju and Mr Jatupat’s mother Prim Boonpattararaksa and her husband Viboon will represent their son and receive the award on his behalf.
National Human Rights commissioner Angkhana Neelapaijit, who won the Gwangju Award for Human Rights in 2006, described it as a prestigious accolade.
Source: Envoy queries Korea award for Jatupat | Bangkok Post: news
Posted in awards, human rights, Human Rights Defenders | 1 Comment »
Tags: 10 Khon Kaen University’s students, Computer Crime Act (Thailand), detention, Gwangju Prize for Human Rights, human rights award, Human Rights Defenders, Jatupat Boonpattararaksa, lese majeste, Pai Dao Din, Somchai Neelapaijit, students, Thailand
April 26, 2016
Participants shout slogans during a rally organised by pro-democracy group Bersih 2.0 near Dataran Merdeka in Kuala Lumpur, August 30, 2015. — Reuters pic
Bersih 2.0 (also called the Walk for Democracy) has won South Korea’s 2016 Gwangju Prize for Human Rights for its efforts in pushing for electoral reform in Malaysia. The Bersih 2.0 steering committee, in a statement, said it was proud for being acknowledged for its work through the Gwangju award. “This acknowledgement is the result of the fight of the people of Malaysia who had gathered peacefully as many as four times in the city centre to seek a clean and fair electoral system in the country…The people have also proved their patriotic spirit when they walked the streets to defend the constitution, freedom to gather, voice an opinion and seek information,” it said. “We would like to take this opportunity to thank all non governmental organisations overseas who have supported Bersih 2.0 all these years.”
The committee said Bersih 2.0 was nominated by Indonesian activist Mugiyanto from the International NGO forum on Indonesian Development (INFID) and Malaysian activist Yap Swee Seng. The award ceremony will take place on May 18 at the Memorial Foundation in South Korea.
Source: Bersih 2.0 wins South Korean human rights award | Malaysia | Malay Mail Online
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bersih_2.0_rally
Posted in awards, human rights, Human Rights Defenders | 1 Comment »
Tags: Bersih 2.0, elections, freedom to demonstrate, Gwangju Prize for Human Rights, human rights award, Korea, Malaysia, Mugiyanto, Walk for Democracy, Yap Swee Seng
January 15, 2016
The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) in a press release of 18 December gave a short report of a meeting held on 12-14 December 2015, where 8 laureates of the Gwangju Prize for Human Rights, and human rights defenders from the Asian region participated in an international workshop on“Torture, Violence, and Enforced Disappearances in Asia” organized by Imparsial, IKOHI, and the May 18 Memorial Foundation, (Gwangju, South Korea). The speakers and the victims discussed the realities of human rights issues including torture and enforced disappearances and the implications for the justice institutions to address the problems: Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in AHRC, awards, human rights, Human Rights Defenders | Leave a Comment »
Tags: Asian Federation Against Disappearances, Asian Human Rights Commission, asian region, Bangladesh, disappearances, Gwangju Prize for Human Rights, human rights award, human rights conference, impunity, India, Indonesia, Iran, Irom Sharmila Chanu, justice, Laos, report, Sombath Somphone, torture
Hans Thoolen on Human Rights Defenders and their awards 