share information on human rights defenders, with special focus on human rights awards and laureates
Reminder: Martin Ennals Award 2014 to be announced at Ceremony in Geneva on 18:00, 7 October, at Uni Dufour. Watch live on: www.martinennalsaward.org
for more detail on the nominees: https://thoolen.wordpress.com/2014/06/22/announcement-ceremony-of-the-martin-ennals-award-2014-on-7-october/
The Russian human rights group Agora, which played a key role in defending one of the jailed members of Pussy Riot, has won Norway’s Rafto Prize for human rights defenders. [An Agora lawyer, Irina Khrunova, helped secure the release of Yekaterina Samutsevich, who was sentenced to two years in jail in 2012 for the feminist group’s “punk prayer” protest against President Vladimir Putin].”The award is a recognition of their relentless and professional work to defend the right to fair trial and other human rights in a Russia where organisations and individuals are subjected to increasing pressure from the country’s authorities” the Bergen-based Rafto Foundation said on Thursday. The Agora Association – a network of 35 lawyers across Russia – was founded by human rights lawyer Pavel Chikov in 2005. It provides legal help to mainly human rights defenders, bloggers and journalists.
The group was forced to turn down $20,000 in prize money, according to the Rafto foundation due to a 2012 law – which Agora has challenged in the courts – that requires organisations with international funding to register as “foreign agents”.
via Russian lawyers win Norwegian rights prize.
for more info on the award: http://www.trueheroesfilms.org/thedigest/award/rafto-prize
The Sergio Vieira de Mello Foundation was created in 2007 by family and friends of Sergio Vieira de Mello, the former High Commissioner for Human Rights. One of the aims of the Foundation is to award an Annual Prize in Sergio’s name once a year to individuals, institutions or communities in recognition of outstanding and unique work for peaceful reconciliation.
Criteria for Selecting Candidates include:
Deadline 30 November, 2014, either by e-mail at: info@sergiovdmfoundation.org or by post at: Sergio Vieira de Mello Foundation: 29, Rue des Allobroges, 1227 Carouge, Geneva, Switzerland. The selection is made by an independent Jury of the Foundation. A form on the website (http://www.sergiovdmfoundation.org/award/) will facilitate the nomination process.
see also: https://thoolen.wordpress.com/tag/sergio-vieira-de-mello/ and for awards: http://www.trueheroesfilms.org/thedigest/awards
On Wednesday June 25, it was announced that the “Ludovic Trarieux” human rights award was granted to Maheinour El-Massry, Egyptian lawyer and human rights defender. She currently serves two years in prison for violating the Protest Law. The defender was imprisoned under three consecutive presidents in Egypt: Mubarak, Mohamed Morsi and Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi. The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI) expresses its pleasure and reiterates its demand to release Maheinour El-Massry along with all those who are being imprisoned under the notorious Protest Law. For more on the award see: http://www.trueheroesfilms.org/thedigest/award/ludovic-trarieux-international-human-rights-prize
The City of Geneva and the Martin Ennals Foundation have set the day of the 2014 ceremony for 7 October 2014, 6 pm, at Uni-Dufour, Geneva, during the opening day of the Human Rights Week hosted by the University of Geneva. Save this date in your agenda and register as from now online at: http://www.martinennalsaward.org/.
The laureate will be selected among the three Final Nominees of the 2014 edition:
The Jury of the Martin Ennals Award is made up of ten of the world’s leading human rights organizations: Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Human Rights First, International Federation for Human Rights, World Organisation Against Torture, Frontline Defenders, the International Commission of Jurists, EWDE-Germany, the International Service for Human Rights, and HURIDOCS.
On 25 June 2014, Marilyn Carlson Nelson will receive The Advocates’ 2014 Don and Arvonne Fraser Human Rights Award in Minneapolis [see http://www.trueheroesfilms.org/thedigest/award/don-and-arvonne-fraser-human-rights-award]. The winner this year is an interesting choice as it is rare to give a human rights award to a corporate leader. Named as one of the “World’s 100 Most Powerful Women” by Forbes, Marilyn Carlson Nelson, the former CEO and chairman of Carlson, is an unusual human rights defender. Under her leadership, Carlson became the first major U.S.-based travel company to commit to training its hotel employees to watch for and report child sex abuse when she signed the travel industry’s International Code of Conduct to end sexual exploitation and trafficking of children. She also helped to defeat the Minnesota marriage amendment that was before the state’s voters in 2012. The op-ed she wrote for the Star Tribune went viral and encouraged other Minnesota business leaders to voice their support for LGBTI rights.
via Outstanding Human Rights Defenders Being Honored at Awards Dinner, June 25 | The Advocates Post.
This clip was produced by True Heroes Films (THF) for Euronews which covered the event of the 2nd international Cartooning for Peace award. [for more on the award see http://www.trueheroesfilms.org/thedigest/award/cartooning-peace-press-award].
The foundation “Cartooning for Peace” went to Syria-Palestinian Hani Abbas and Egyptian Doaa Eladl for their work. Former Secretary General Kofi Annan handed them the international award for press cartoonists in Geneva, as part of World Press Day. French cartoonist Plantu gave Euronews his views on the significance of using cartoons as a form of expression: “We’re trying to show the level of resistance that exists today, from the perspective of the very people that allow us to understand the word “resistance”, the cartoonists that ultimately become the foot soldiers of democracy. In other words, they’re railing against different powers, not just the power of their editors but also against political and religious power.”
From Lake Geneva, euronews correspondent Wolfgang Spindler said: “Political cartoons can be subversive, provocative and amusing – they make us smile, they give us pause for thought. But we very often forget that the cartoonists behind them sometimes have to risk their lives daily for the sake of their work.” via: http://www.euronews.com/2014/05/05/drawing-for-peace
The cartoon exhibition on the banks of Lake Geneva runs until the beginning of July and then moves to Sarajevo.
previous post: https://thoolen.wordpress.com/2014/05/04/cartooning-for-peace-international-award-and-exhibit-in-geneva-as-from-today/
It was just announced that the following three Human Right Defenders have been selected as the Final Nominees for the Martin Ennals Award 2014: Read the rest of this entry »
Sean Penn is in Dublin today, 7 March, to hand out a human rights award. The winner of the 2014 Front Line Defenders Award was chosen from 110 nominations from 51 countries. Members of the Irish and European Parliaments, representatives of Front Line Defenders and Al Jazeera Media Network made up the judging panel. Jim Loughran, of Front Line Defenders said: “Sean Penn’s support is hugely important in terms of driving publicity…As one human rights defender said to us recently, if you are visible, you have rights. If you are invisible, you are a victim.” He presented the award to a Pakistani woman rights defender, Noorzia Afridi, who founded the Society for Appraisal and Women Empowerment in Rural Areas (SAWERA) along with her sister Fareeda “Kokikhel”, who was shot dead on her way to work in 2012.
Penn in Dublin to give human rights award | Irish Examiner.
It shows that star power can be used for good and I should have listed Penn in: https://thoolen.wordpress.com/2014/02/10/star-power-and-human-rights-a-difficult-but-doable-mix/
The Chair of the Martin Ennals Foundation, Mrs Micheline Calmy Rey, has today called for President Museveni to veto the anti-homosexual bill passed by the Ugandan Parliament on 20 December 2013. The Martin Ennals Foundation has also called on the Ugandan government to take effective steps to protect LGBT persons from violence and discrimination. Kasha Jacqueline Nabagesera was awarded the Martin Ennals Award in 2011 for her activities in support of Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual and Transgender rights in Uganda.
Hans Thoolen on Human Rights Defenders and their awards 