John Humphrey Freedom Award
Encyclopedia
The John Humphrey Freedom Award is presented annually by the Canadian human rights group Rights & Democracy to an organization or individual from any country or region of the world for exceptional achievement in the promotion of human rights
and democratic development. It was established in 1992.
The award
consists of a grant of C$25,000, as well as a speaking tour of Canadian cities to help increase awareness of the recipient’s human rights work.
It is named in honor of John Peters Humphrey
, a Canadian human rights law professor who prepared the first draft of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
.
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
and democratic development. It was established in 1992.
The award
Award
An award is something given to a person or a group of people to recognize excellence in a certain field; a certificate of excellence. Awards are often signifiedby trophies, titles, certificates, commemorative plaques, medals, badges, pins, or ribbons...
consists of a grant of C$25,000, as well as a speaking tour of Canadian cities to help increase awareness of the recipient’s human rights work.
It is named in honor of John Peters Humphrey
John Peters Humphrey
John Peters Humphrey, OC was a Canadian legal scholar, jurist, and human rights advocate. He is most famous as the author of the first draft of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights....
, a Canadian human rights law professor who prepared the first draft of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is a declaration adopted by the United Nations General Assembly . The Declaration arose directly from the experience of the Second World War and represents the first global expression of rights to which all human beings are inherently entitled...
.
Award winners
- 2010 - PROVEA (El Programa Venezolano de Educacion-Accion en Derechos Humanos), VenezuelaVenezuelaVenezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
- 2009 - La'Onf, the Iraqi Nonviolence Network, IraqIraqIraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
- 2008 - Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human RightsZimbabwe Lawyers for Human RightsZimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights is a not for profit human rights organization whose core objective is to foster a culture of human rights in Zimbabwe as well as encourage the growth and strengthening of human rights at all levels of Zimbabwean society through observance of the rule of...
, ZimbabweZimbabweZimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three... - 2007 - Akbar GanjiAkbar GanjiAkbar Ganji is an Iranian journalist and writer. He has been described as "Iran’s preeminent political dissident", and a "wildly popular pro-democracy journalist" who has crossed press censorship "red lines" regularly...
, IranIranIran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia... - 2006 - Su Su NwaySu Su NwaySu Su Nway , is a democracy activist, political prisoner, and member of the National League for Democracy . In 2005, she became the first Burmese national to successfully sue local government officials under a 1999 law forced labour....
, Burma - 2005 - Yan Christian Warinussy, West Papua
- 2004 - Godeliève MukasarasiGodeliève MukasarasiGodeliève Mukasarasi is a Rwandan social worker, genocide survivor, and rural development activist.-Background and activism:Mukasarasi was born in Gitarama, Muhanga District, where she went on to work as a social worker. Following the 1994 Rwandan genocide, she founded a group called SEVOTA, a...
, RwandaRwandaRwanda or , officially the Republic of Rwanda , is a country in central and eastern Africa with a population of approximately 11.4 million . Rwanda is located a few degrees south of the Equator, and is bordered by Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo... - 2003 - Kimy Pernia Domicó, ColombiaColombiaColombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
and Angélica Mendoz de Ascarza, PeruPeruPeru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean.... - 2002 - Ayesha Imam, NigeriaNigeriaNigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
- 2001 - Dr. Sima SamarSima SamarDr. Sima Samar OC is a politician in Afghanistan, who served as Minister of Women's Affairs of Afghanistan from December 2001 to 2003...
, AfghanistanAfghanistanAfghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world... - 2000 - Reverend Timothy Njoya, KenyaKenyaKenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
- 1999 – Cynthia MaungCynthia MaungDr. Cynthia Maung is a Burmese medical doctor who since 1989 has lived in Mae Sot, on the Thai-Burmese border. An ethnic Karen, Dr. Maung left Burma after the 8888 Uprising and has since run a clinic treating Burmese refugees, migrants and orphans at Mae Tao Clinic in Mae Sot on the Thai-Burmese...
and Min Ko NaingMin Ko NaingPaw Oo Tun is the President of Universities Student Union of Burma and a leading democracy activist and dissident. He has spent the majority of the last 22 years imprisoned by the state for his opposition activities.-Biography:...
, Burma - 1998 – Palden GyatsoPalden GyatsoPalden Gyatso is a Tibetan Buddhist monk who was born in Tibet in 1933. During the Chinese invasion of Tibet he was arrested for protesting and spent 33 years in Chinese prisons and labor camps, where he was extensively tortured. After his release in 1992 he fled to Dharamsala, in exile...
, TibetTibetTibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people... - 1997 – Father Javier Giraldo, ColombiaColombiaColombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
- 1996 – Sultana KamalSultana KamalSultana Kamal is a Bangladeshi human rights worker and politician. She was an adviser to the interim Caretaker government of Bangladesh under chief adviser and president Iajuddin Ahmed. She along with three other advisers resigned after a series of disagreements which included army deployment in...
, BangladeshBangladeshBangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south... - 1995 – Bishop Carlos Filipe Ximenes BeloCarlos Filipe Ximenes BeloCarlos Filipe Ximenes Belo SDB, GCL is an East Timorese Roman Catholic bishop. Along with José Ramos-Horta, he received the 1996 Nobel Peace Prize for work "towards a just and peaceful solution to the conflict in East Timor."...
, East TimorEast TimorThe Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, commonly known as East Timor , is a state in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the nearby islands of Atauro and Jaco, and Oecusse, an exclave on the northwestern side of the island, within Indonesian West Timor... - 1994 – Campaign for Democracy, NigeriaNigeriaNigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
and Egyptian Organization for Human RightsEgyptian Organization for Human RightsThe Egyptian Organization for Human Rights , founded in April 1985 and with its headquarters in Cairo, Egypt, is a non-profit NGO and one of the longest-standing bodies for the defense of human rights in Egypt. It investigates, monitors, and reports on human rights violations...
, EgyptEgyptEgypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world... - 1993 – La Plate-forme des organismes haïtiens de défense des droits humains, HaïtiHaitiHaiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
- 1992 – Instituto de Defensa Legal, PeruPeruPeru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....