Tactics and tools for the protection
of Human Rights Defenders

18 November 2011

The American Bar Association Section of International Law (SIL) invites nominations for its International Human Rights Lawyer Award. The award honors individual “foreign human rights lawyers who have suffered persecution as a result of their professional activities” on behalf of human rights defenders or against human rights abuses.

Conferred periodically, the award has been presented 13 times over the last 20 years. The most recent recipient was Gao Zhisheng of China, who was honored at the ABA’s annual meeting in 2010 for his personal and professional commitment to defense of individuals’ rights, for which he has been imprisoned and tortured repeatedly over numerous years and was seized by the government again in 2009. He has not been seen or heard from since spring 2010.

Other recipients include Andrew Makoni, Zimbabwe (2009); Abdulrahman Al-Lahem of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed-Ali Dadkhah of Iran, and Asma Jahangir and Hina Jilani of Pakistan (all in 2008); Soraya Gutierrez Arguello, Colombia (2006); Digna Ochoa y Placido, Mexico (2003); Rosemary Nelson, Northern Ireland (2001); Muchtar Pakpahan, Indonesia (1997); Olisa Agbakoba, Nigeria (1996); Radhika Coomaraswamy, Sri Lanka (1995); Teo Soh Lung, Singapore (1994); Srdja Popovic, Serbia (1993); Carlos Escobar Pineda, Peru (1991); and Gibson Kamau Kuria, Kenya (1990).

Nominations for an award in 2012 should be submitted to:
SIL Award Committee Chair, Penny Wakefield (pwwakefield comcast.net) and to SIL Projects Coordinator Katie Van Geem (katie.vangeem americanbar.org) by Friday, December 9, 2011.

Each nomination should include:

1. the nominee’s C.V./biographical information,
2. a description of human rights-related professional activity that supports the nomination,
3. other relevant background material, and
4. a cover statement explaining why it would be particularly appropriate for the Section to recognize the nominated lawyer in the coming year. 

The Award Committee includes Penny Wakefield, Eileen Meier and Russell Kerr.

Sommaire en français

La Section du Droit International (SIL) de l’American Bar Association invite des candidatures pour son Prix international pour les avocats des droits humains. Le prix honore des invididus «étrangers avocats des droits de l’homme qui ont subi des persécutions en raison de leurs activités professionnelles” au nom des défenseurs des droits humains ou contre les violations aux droits de l’homme.

Resumen en español

La Sección de Derecho Internacional (SIL) del American Bar Asociación abre la convocatoria para el Premio Internacional de abogado de derechos humanos. El premio honra individual “abogados extranjeros de derechos humanos que han sufrido persecución como consecuencia de sus actividades profesionales” en nombre de los defensores de los derechos humanos o abusos de los derechos humanos.

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