At 6pm on October 8, 2013, the Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders will be presented to the 2013 Laureate at a ceremony hosted by the City of Geneva (UNI-Dufour U-600).
Follow the live broadcast of the Ceremony here (from 18:00 GVA time)!
The Jury will also select two recipients of the New Martin Ennals Prizes.
The nominees for the 2013 Martin Ennals Award are: Ms. Mona Seif from Egypt, the Joint Mobile Group working Chechnya and Mr. Mario Joseph from Haiti.
Mona Seif, Egypt: Core founder of the” No To Military Trials for Civilians”, a grassroots initiative which is trying to stop military trials for civilians. Since February 25, 2011, Mona has brought together activists, lawyers, victims’ families, local stakeholders and started a nationwide movement against military trials. They have succeeded in putting military trials on the political agenda, and have helped to overturn of long sentences by military courts. "International solidarity, and I mean people's support not governments, empowers us to continue our battle and stop military trials for civilians".
Mona Seif - Martin Ennals Award Nominee 2013 from Martin Ennals Award on Vimeo.
Joint Mobile Group, Russia: After the murder of several human rights activists working in Chechnya, Igor Kalyapin started the Joint Mobile Group. To reduce the risk they send investigators on short missions to Chechnya to document Human Rights abuses. This information is then used to publicise these abuses to seek legal redress. Igor Kalyapin speaking of the effect of international publicity said “… when the international community is watching us it is more difficult for the authorities to take steps against us…”
Joint Mobile Group - Martin Ennals Award Nominee 2013 from Martin Ennals Award on Vimeo.
Mario Joseph, referred to as Haiti’s most important human rights lawyer, he has worked on some of the most important cases in Haiti, including the current case against the former dictator Jean-Claude “Baby Doc” Duvalier. His family received asylum in the United States in 2004, while he chose to return to Haiti. He has faced threats and harassment for much of his 20 years as a lawyer although it has intensified in recent months. “This recognition from the Ennals Award shines a vital spotlight on my work, and on the work of everyone who is fighting for human rights in Haiti. That spotlight will make our work safer and more effective.”
The main award of the human rights movement. The Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders (MEA) is a unique collaboration among ten of the world’s leading human rights organizations to give protection to human rights defenders worldwide. The Jury is composed of the following NGOs:
- Amnesty International
- Human Rights Watch
- Human Rights First
- Int’l Federation for Human Rights
- World Organisation Against Torture
- Front Line Defenders
- International Commission of Jurists
- German Diakonie
- International Service for Human Rights
- HURIDOCS
For further information, please contact: Michael Khambatta +41 79 474 8208
khambatta@martinennalsaward.org or visit www.martinennalsaward.org
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