The jury for this year’s Martin Ennals Award has announced three finalists, including a Bangladeshi, to receive the top rights prize.
Rights activist Adilur Rahman Khan, founder of Odhikar, has been nominated for the prize along with Cao Shunli, a Chinese civil society activist who died in detention in March after the jury decided on her nomination, Alejandra Ancheita, a Mexican land rights advocate, according to a press release of the Human Rights Watch.
The 10-member prize jury consisting of international human rights groups made the announcement on Wednesday. Reed Brody, special counsel at the Human Rights Watch and a member of the Martin Ennals jury, said: “These three courageous activists have shown an extraordinary dedication to protecting the rights of their people…Cao Shunli tragically paid the ultimate price for her commitment.”
The winner will be announced and the award will be presented on October 7 at a ceremony hosted by the city of Geneva.
The Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders is a unique collaboration among 10 of the world’s leading human rights organisations to give protection to human rights defenders worldwide. The jury is composed of representatives from the Amnesty International, EWDE Germany, Front Line Defenders, Human Rights First, Human Rights Watch, HURIDOCS, International Commission of Jurists, International Federation for Human Rights, International Service for Human Rights, and World Organisation Against Torture.
