PRESS
RELEASE
Geneva, 26 April 2017
Finalists for the 2017
Martin Ennals Award are human rights defenders from Cambodia, El Salvador and
Egypt
The Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders is selected by ten international human rights NGOs, including OMCT, and is given to human rights defenders who have shown deep commitment and courage in the face of personal risk. The aim of the award is to highlight their work and protect them through increased visibility.
Finalists for the 2017 Martin Ennals Award
for Human Rights Defenders are:
FreeThe5KH
(Cambodia)

FreeThe5KH are five human rights defenders - Nay Vanda, Ny Sokha, Lim Mony, Yi Soksan and Ny Chakrya - who have been in pre-trial detention since April 28, 2016. This is linked to their work with the Cambodian Human Rights and Development Association (ADHOC). International bodies like the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention and UN Special Rapporteurs have repeatedly called for their immediate and unconditional release, and a stop to judicial harassment of human rights defenders in Cambodia based on their legitimate human rights work. This comes in the context of an increasingly severe crackdown on civil society and the political opposition in Cambodia.
On behalf of the
Khmer Five, Thun Saray, President of (ADHOC) comments: “It is an immense honour for the five HRDs to be selected as finalists.
28 April will mark their one year in arbitrary detention on the basis of their
legitimate human rights work. The increased attacks against HRDs and activists
has had a tremendous impact on those working to promote and protect human
rights in Cambodia. This Award is symbol of encouragement for every courageous
Cambodian, who continues to speak out against injustices and human rights
violations. I would like to express my deepest gratitude to everyone that has
supported the nomination.”
Karla Avelar (El
Salvador)
Karla Avelar, a transgender woman in El Salvador, grew up on the streets of San Salvador, suffering discrimination, violence, exploitation, and rape. She was imprisoned when she defended herself, and then regularly abused by fellow prisoners with the knowledge and even participation of the prison authorities. These terrible experiences have forged her into a powerful advocate. With three others, she founded COMCAVIS TRANS, which was created to represent, defend, and promote the human rights of LGBTI persons, with a focus on those living with HIV, as she does. She works to change legislation and the authorities’ practices, by holding them publicly to account. Notably her advocacy helped prompt the authorities to segregate LGBTI prisoners for their own safety, and allow for the standard HIV treatments provided by the Ministry of Health.
She said,” I want to thank Martin
Ennals, the jury, and those who nominated me for this important award.
Although today I am in danger, and sure that my struggle is risky, my eagerness
for justice and equity motivates me. I will continue to push the State to
accept reforms and legislation proposed by civil society to allow the LGBTI
community to fully enjoy their human rights.”
Mohamed Zaree (Egypt)

Mohamed Zaree is the Egypt Country Director for the Cairo Institute for
Human Rights Studies (CIHRS), responsible for CIHRS’s legal research, media
outreach and national advocacy. CIHRS’s work was influential in the Arab world
particularly Egypt, which resulted in death threats to its director. This
forced the CIHRS executive director and regional staff to move abroad to
continue their work. Mohamed chose to stay and is now banned from travel. He is
a legal scholar coordinating research to challenge laws designed to limit NGOs
activities working on human rights, such as freedom of expression and assembly.
He is widely seen a unifying figure bringing together the human rights
community in Egypt to advocate with a common approach.
He stated “Our hopes were high
following the Egyptian revolution in 2011; we don't know how the situation has
instead deteriorated to such an extent. Today, we are battling human rights
violations that are worse than before 2011, and challenging the normalization
and acceptance of these atrocities. Killing almost 1000 citizens in few hours,
arresting almost 40,000 others, innocents dying in Egyptian prisons; is not the
norm and we will not allow it to become so. We human rights defenders are
fighting these abuses at risk of indefinite imprisonment.”
The Award will be presented on October 10th, 2017 at a ceremony
hosted by the City of Geneva.
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,
- FIDH,
- World Organisation Against Torture
(OMCT),
- Front Line Defenders,
- International Commission of Jurists,
- EWDE Germany,
- 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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