Subject: Defenders' Day Awards Recognize Human Rights Struggle (fwd)
From: Center for Civil Society International (ccsi@u.washington.edu)
Date: Tue Dec 07 1999 - 16:32:05 EST
DEFENDERS' DAY AWARDS RECOGNIZE HUMAN RIGHTS STRUGGLE
On Thursday, December 9, Defenders' Day, the International League for
Human Rights, a non-governmental organization devoted to
strengthening international human rights institutions, will hold a
reception and awards ceremony in honor of activists who have
courageously defended the rights of others, facing persecution
themselves.
December 9 marks the first anniversary of what has come to be known
as the "Defenders' Declaration," passed by the United Nations General
Assembly on December 9, 1998, one day before Human Rights Day. The
declaration aims to reinforce the right, individually or in groups,
to promote and protect the rights of others--a guarantee still
lacking implementation in many countries. With Defenders' Day Awards,
the League will honor the work of 7 individuals or organizations
notable for their defense of others in 1999:
o Abiola Akiyode, attorney from Nigeria, highly regarded former
student activist and the first woman to serve as public relations
officer of the Obafemi Awolowo University Students Union. She worked
to defend pro-democracy activists during the regime of Gen. Sani
Abacha; has served as legal counsel for disabled, women, and students
rights groups; and represented indigent detainees and organized
prison visits.
o Annagi Gadzhiev, attorney from Azerbaijan and president of the
Association of Lawyers of Azerbaijan, denied registration by
authorities despite repeated court appeals. He has organized the
defense of refugees, the poor, and other public interest cases; and
advocated on behalf of attorneys harassed or denied access to court
for their civil rights defense work.
o Human Rights in China, an international NGO founded by Chinese
scientists and scholars in 1989, has been denied NGO consultative
status at the UN, following China's intervention. Sadly, the decision
came on June 4, exactly ten years after the massacre in Tiananmen
Square. HRIC leader Xiao Qiang vows to continue to seek recognition
for his organization, required to attend sessions such as the
Commission on Human Rights.
o Rosemary Nelson, a Belfast solicitor, killed in a car bomb blast
March 15 after death threats for defending her clients. Other lawyers
in Northern Ireland continue to receive warnings, and the posthumous
award to Nelson, to be accepted by Rosemary Nelson Campaign activist
Richard Harvey, is intended to highlight the urgent need to protect
them, as well as to launch an international investigation of their
colleagues' murders.
o Oleg Volchek of Belarus, head of the Public Legal Assistance
Association, recently suspended by the government for providing aid
to demonstrators injured by police and other taking up the case of
other human rights victims, including disappeared opposition leader
Yuri Zakharenko. He himself was beaten severely by plainclothes
police in July but continues his work.
o Yuri Schmidt of Russia, attorney for environmental activist
Aleksandr Nikitin, on trial again this week for blowing the whistle
on nuclear hazards. Schmidt himself has faced reprisals and is under
constant surveillance and harassment by the secret police.
o Yevgeny Zhovtis, director of the Human Rights and Legality Bureau
in Almaty, Kazakhstan, whose office was burned by arsonists in
November, with records dating back six years destroyed in the fire.
Zhovtis has led the struggle for free speech and labor rights in his
homeland, particularly crucial in recent elections.
For more information, call (212)-684-1221, ext. 104
Cathy Fitzpatrick
Executive Director
International League for Human Rights
New York, NY
E-mail: <cfitz@ilhr.org>
Web: www.ilhr.org
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