Front Line Defenders Award
"[The Laureates] are a courageous and inspiring group of people who reflect the determination, dynamism and diversity of human rights defenders who are on the front lines of fighting for a more just world"
The annual Front Line Defenders Award was established in 2005 to honour the work of HRDs who are courageously making outstanding contributions to the promotion and protection of the human rights of others, often at great personal risk to themselves. The Award focuses international attention on the work and struggles of HRDs, providing a greater national and international platform to speak about and advocate for the human rights issues they are defending.
2023 Front Line Defenders Award
The 2023 Front Line Defenders Award for human rights defenders at risk was presented at an Award ceremony in Dublin on 26 May 2023.
About the Award
The annual Front Line Defenders Award for Human Rights Defenders at Risk was established in 2005 to honour the work of a human rights defender who, through non-violent work, is courageously making an outstanding contribution to the promotion and protection of the human rights of others, often at great personal risk to themselves.
Starting in 2018, Front Line Defenders changed the format of the Award, naming 5 Regional Award Winners, with the Irish jury selecting one among them as the Global Laureate. From 2021 onwards, Front Line Defenders has annually recognized all regional winners as Laureates.
The Award focuses international attention on the human rights defender's work, thus contributing to the recipient’s personal security.
Previous Winners
2022
Africa: Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (ARTUZ), Zimbabwe
Americas: Javier del Tránsito and María del Tránsito Salvatierra, Mexico
Asia: Liah Ghazanfar Jawad, Afghanistan
Europe & Central Asia: Volha Harbunova, Belarus
Middle East & North Africa: Ameira Osman Hamid, Sudan
2021
Africa: Aminata Fabba, Sierra Leone
Americas: Camila Moradia, Brazil
Asia: Mother Nature Cambodia, Cambodia
Europe & Central Asia 1: Siarhei Drazdouski & Aleh Hrableuski, Belarus
Europe & Central Asia 2: Mamadou Ba, Portugal
Middle East & North Africa: Sami & Sameeha Huraini, Palestine
2020
Africa: Mekfoula Mint Brahim, Mauritania
Americas: Guardia Indígena del Cauca, Colombia
Asia: Juwairiya Mohideen, Sri Lanka
Europe & Central Asia: Lara Aharonian, Armenia
Middle East & North Africa: Fatima Al-Bahadly, Iraq
2019
Award Winners; Global Laureate: Badr Baabou, Tunisia
2018
Award Winners; Global Laureate: Nurcan Baysal, Turkey
2017
Emil Kurbedinov, Ukraine
2016
Ana Mirian Romero, Honduras
2015
Guo Feixiong, China
2014
SAWERA, Pakistan
2013
Biram Dah Abeid, Mauritania
2012
Razan Ghazzawi, Syria
2011
Joint Mobile Group, Russian Federation
2010
Soraya Rahim Sobhrang, Afghanistan
2009
Yuri Melini, Guatemala
2008
Anwar Al-Bunni, Syria
2007
Gégé Katana, Democratic Republic of Congo
2006
Ahmadjan Madmarov, Uzbekistan
2005
Mudawi Ibrahim Adam, Sudan
Nominations for the Award
Towards the end of each year, Front Line Defenders holds an open nomination process for people to put forward names of candidates for the Award.
The selection criteria include: the nature of human rights defender's work; the impact of human rights defender's work in advancing the rights of others; the level of risk or negative consequences associated with human rights defender's work; the continued commitment to advancing human rights, despite high level risks; and the potential impact of receiving the Award on the human rights defender and their work.
Nomination Guidelines:
- Incomplete nominations will not be considered.
- Nominations can be submitted by organisations or individuals.
- Individual nominees may not play a prominent role in a political party.
- Individual nominees must be currently active in human rights work (the Front Line Defenders Award is not intended to recognise a historical or posthumous contribution).
- Individual nominees should not have previously been the recipient of high-profile international recognition.
- Nominees should be active human rights defenders and if in exile, only nominations of HRDs still at risk will be eligible.
- Self-nomination is not permitted.
- The number of nominations a HRD or organisation receives is not considered when evaluating the nominees.
