US Ambassador to Bangladesh Peter Haas on Wednesday hosted a reception to honour Bangladeshis who recently won the US Department of State Awards addressing the most pressing issues of the time.
"It is an honour for me to celebrate this occasion with people who have demonstrated such courage and dedication in fighting for what is right," said Ambassador Haas.
The honourees include Syeda Rizwana Hasan, winner of the 2022 International Women of Courage Award for her activism in protecting the environment and human rights.
Rizwana is an environmental lawyer with over two decades of activism, winning cases against deforestation, pollution, unregulated shipbreaking, and illegal land development.
Mohammed Tariqul Islam was recognised as a 2022 Trafficking in Persons Report Hero.
As country director for the NGO Justice and Care, he advocates for victims of human trafficking and is committed to increasing the Bangladeshi government's capacity to investigate and prosecute traffickers.
Rozina Islam was named a 2022 Anti-Corruption Champion.
As a journalist, she demonstrates courage and tenacity through her "investigative" newspaper stories about "human rights abuses and corruption" in the public and private sectors of Bangladesh, according to the US Embassy in Dhaka.
Mohammad Nur Khan is a winner of the 2023 Human Rights Defender Award.
He has demonstrated exceptional bravery and persistence during his decade-long fight to "document human rights abuses in Bangladesh and promote accountability."
The other award recipient was Minhaj Chowdhury, chief executive officer of Drinkwell, a company that won the 2022 US Secretary of State's Award for Corporate Excellence in the category of climate resilience.
Drinkwell is a US company that provides technology to create safe drinking water for underprivileged communities in India and Bangladesh.