My short post on the Nobel Peace Prize for the Tunisian quartet [https://thoolen.wordpress.com/2015/10/09/tunisian-national-dialogue-quartet-laureates-of-2015-nobel-peace-prize/] is better understood with the post by Dan Smith: http://dansmithsblog.com/2015/10/13/the-tunisian-spring-and-the-nobel-peace-prize/.
Posts Tagged ‘human rights award’
More on the Tunisian winners of the Nobel Peace Prize
October 13, 2015Azerbaijan’s Intigam Aliyev receives IBA Human Rights Award 2015
October 9, 2015Intigam 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.
The link to the full MEA 2015 ceremony of 6 October
October 7, 2015
Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders
For those who missed this impressive ceremony of the 2015 Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders last night, here is the link to the full 1h40 event, including the surprise appearance by Laureate Ahmed Mansoor via the internet. The films and streaming were provided by True Heroes Films.
Rafto award 2015 goes to human rights defender and priest Padre Melo in Honduras
October 7, 2015The 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.
88-year old Russian human rights defender received 2015 Vaclav Havel Prize
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
Martin Ennals Award: ceremony 2015 and nominations for 2016
October 1, 2015- For those in or near Geneva it is important to note that the 2015 Martin Ennals Award ceremony will take place on Tuesday 6 October at 18h00 in the Uni-Dufour, Geneva. This ceremony is open to the public and is followed by a reception. [https://thoolen.wordpress.com/2015/04/22/breaking-news-final-nominees-martin-ennals-award-2015-just-announced/]
Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders
- For those wanting to submit candidates for the 2016 MEA, please note that the nominations deadline is one month earlier than in the past, i.e. 9 November 2015. Nominations can be submitted electronically at www.martinennalsaward.org
The Jury of the Award is composed of the following NGOs:
OMCT
ISHR
International Commission of Jurists
HURIDOCS
Human Rights Watch
Human Rights First
Front Line Defenders
FIDH
EWDE Germany
Amnesty International
2015 Front Line Defenders Award to Chinese Guo Feixiong (Yang Maodong)
September 12, 2015
On Friday 11 September the 2015 Front Line Defenders Award for Human Rights Defenders at Risk was presented to imprisoned Chinese Human Rights Defender Guo Feixiong in Dublin City Hall. Irish author and playwright Sebastian Barry presented the award to Guo’s wife, Zhang Qing, and daughter, Yang Tianjiao (Sara), at the award co-presented by the Al-Jazeera Media Network. Guo has been held in Guangzhou’s Tianhe Detention Center for over 750 days, where is currently awaiting sentencing. Sebastian Barry said:“For human rights defenders the struggle is not just to implement rules and regulations and theoretical international standards. It is is about the right to raise your voice without the fear of arbitrary violence, whether by the state or others. Guo Feixiong has defended farmers illegally evicted from their land, Falun Gong practitioners persecuted for their beliefs and journalists who dared to speak out. He is a symbol of the endurance of the human spirit, of the will to survive and of the human need for the free air of ideas, to make life worth living. He is a worthy recipient of the 2015 Front Line Defenders Award.”
Guo Feixiong (pen name of Yang Maodong) is a leading figure in the movement for human rights China – a struggle fraught with danger for human rights defenders seeking civil, political, economic and social rights; accountability; transparency; and an end to corruption. After more than two years in detention, Guo Feixiong’s lawyers now report that during their most recent meeting, his memory, speech, and mental awareness all showed signs of damage.Last week, a coalition of Chinese human rights activists writing at China Change called his detention “a deliberate effort to harm Guo Feixiong and kill him slowly.”Accepting the Award on behalf of her husband, Zhang Qing said:“Guo Feixiong is a faithful idealist. Although he has experienced a wide range of political persecution by the Chinese government including, being sentenced to four prison terms, being the target of a witch hunt, and enduring countless brutal and evil tortures from the Chinese government he still holds a peaceful and pure heart. He shows enduring strength and courage to pursue rights, equality and justice peacefully. We are proud of Guo Feixiong and all the other human rights defenders and lawyers working to the same end in China”.
for info on the finalists: https://thoolen.wordpress.com/2015/03/07/finalists-for-the-2015-front-line-defenders-award-announced/
Fury about US award for Askarov in Kyrgyzstan: backlash or impact?
July 23, 2015Awarding the State Department prize for human rights defenders to Azimzhan Askarov in Kyrgyzstan has led to a most interesting follow up. [https://thoolen.wordpress.com/2015/07/23/us-state-department-2014-human-rights-defender-award-to-azimjon-askarov-and-foro-penal/]In retaliation Kyrgyzstan has cancelled a coöperation treaty with the USA which has been in force since 1993.
The bilateral agreement that facilitated cooperation between the countries in certain areas was renounced by Kyrgyz Prime Minister Temir Sariev.As a result US aid to Kyrgyzstan will no longer be free of taxes and other custom duties as from August 20. US civil and military aid personnel, working in Kyrgyzstan will be deprived of their near diplomatic status. On Monday, the US warned Kyrgyzstan that if the accord got canceled, it would damage a range of its aid programs in the country.
On 23 July 2015 Tatyana Kudryavtseva of the 24.kg news agency collected a range of reaction from a variety of persons in Kyrgyzstan under the title “Very expensive Azimzhan Askarov“. Interesting to note that almost all ‘expert’ reactions assume that Askarov is guilty with the exception of the Chairwoman of the Coalition for Democracy and Civil Society. Still, there is almost unanimity that the move by the Kyrgyz Government was ‘unwise’ to say the least. Here follow some excerpts:
Giving the US State Department Award to the human rights activist Azimzhan Askarov has become a real time bomb. It would seem that nothing terrible has happened. But the news about the award was the trigger. It all ended in scandal – Kyrgyzstan’s government denounced the agreement with the USA on cooperation of 1993. Almost all the projects implemented in the country at the expense of American money turned out to be under threat. Read the rest of this entry »
Martin Ennals 2015 ceremony will be held on 6 October in Geneva
June 22, 2015
MEA 2015 nominees: Robert Aung, Ahmed Mansoor, Asmaou Diallo
A very early “save the date’ announcement: those who need to travel from far away may want to note that the 2015 Martin Ennals Award Ceremony will take place on 6 October, at 18h30 at Uni-Dufour, Geneva. It is the event that opens Human Rights Week hosted by the University of Geneva from 6 – 9 October.
The laureate will be selected from among the three 2015 finalists, shown in the picture above: Read the rest of this entry »
Nominations for Human Rights Tulip open as from today
June 15, 2015Nominations 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.
Hans Thoolen on Human Rights Defenders and their awards 