Nuremberg International Human Rights Award

Nuremberg International Human Rights Award
Awarded forcommitting oneself to human rights, in an exemplary manner
LocationNuremberg
CountryGermany
Reward(s)25.000€ (US$26,820)
First awardedSeptember 17, 1995 (1995-09-17)
Websitehttps://www.nuernberg.de/internet/menschenrechte_e/menschenrechtspreis_e.html

The Nuremberg International Human Rights Award (German: Internationaler Nürnberger Menschenrechtspreis) is a biennial German award founded on September 17, 1995. The date chosen is significant; 60 years earlier, the Nuremberg Race Laws were adopted. Also, on September 17, 1939, Poland was invaded by the Soviet Union, soon after the German invasion that marked the beginning of World War II. Furthermore, the award was introduced 50 years after the end of the Second World War.

Origin and intentions

The award is endowed with €25,000 and is presented every two years to individuals or groups who have, in an exemplary manner, committed themselves to human rights, sometimes at considerable personal risk.[1] The amount mentioned was €15,000 in the first years but has meanwhile been raised to €25,000. The awarding ceremony usually takes place in the Nuremberg Opera House and is followed by the Nuremberg Peace Table, an outdoor citizens′ festival in honour of the prizewinners, in the Way of Human Rights.[2]

Prizewinners

As of 2023, the prize has been awarded to 6 women and 11 men from 17 different countries. In 1997 and 2003, two persons were decorated.[3]

Year Name Country Awarded for[4]
1995 Sergei Kovalev  Russia his committed fight against the war in Chechnya
1997 Khémaïs Chammari  Tunisia their peace activities in the Middle East
Abie Nathan  Israel
1999 Fatimata M'Baye  Mauritania her fight against discrimination of black African ethnic groups
2001 Samuel Ruiz García  Mexico his struggle for the rights of indigenous peoples
2003 Teesta Setalvad  India their committed fight against prejudice, hatred and violence
Ibn Abdur Rehman  Pakistan
2005 Tamara Chikunova  Uzbekistan her engagement against death penalty and torture
2007 Eugénie Musayidire  Rwanda her reconciliation work between the two enemy tribes, the Hutu and the Tutsi, in Rwanda
2009 Abdolfattah Soltani  Iran his struggle for human rights in his home country
2011 Hollman Morris  Colombia his commitment to respect for human rights in Colombia
2013 Kasha Jacqueline Nabagesera  Uganda her courageous fight against homophobia and for sexual self-determination in Uganda
2015 Amirul Haque Amin  Bangladesh his fight for workers' rights in the textile and garment industry
2017 Caesar  Syria his courage (and his supporting Group's) in bringing the systematic torture and mass murders in Syria to the attention of the world public
2019 Rodrigo Mundaca  Chile his remarkable courage in his fight for the fundamental right to water
2021 Sayragul Sauytbay  China her admirable courage to report about crimes against Muslim minorities in Xinjiang
2023 Malcolm Bidali  Kenya coming out fearlessly against abuse and exploitation of migrant workers in Qatar

Jury

An international jury, headed by the Lord Mayor of Nuremberg, chooses the winner of the Human Rights Award, every two years. The members of the jury are elected for a period of four years. The current members are[5]

Name Country Function
Gladys Acosta Vargas  Peru Expert on the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW)
Jean Ahn  South Korea Professor at Law School, Chonnam National University
Iris Berben  Germany Actress; ambassador for the “Room of Names” in the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe
Anne Brasseur  Luxembourg President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
Hilal Elver  Turkey Lawyer; former UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food
Noa Karavan-Cohen  Israel Realisation of cultural projects, international conferences and documentary film projects
longtime assistant to her father Dani Karavan who created the Way of Human Rights
Morten Kjærum  Denmark Chair of the European Council on Refugees and Exiles (ECRE)
Kagwiria Mbogori  Kenya Lawyer; Chair of the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR)
Marcus König  Germany Lord Mayor of the City of Nuremberg

The high standing of this jury and the support lent by the United Nations, UNESCO and renowned non-government organisations have contributed to the award having won considerable international repute and its intention of protecting human rights defenders taking effect.

References

  1. ^ Statutes of the Award
  2. ^ Human Rights Office, City of Nuremberg. "Peace Table". Human Rights Award. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
  3. ^ "Das sind die Preisträger des Nürnberger Menschenrechtspreises" [These are the winners of the Nuremberg Human Rights Award]. nordbayern.de (in German). 22 October 2018. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
  4. ^ Human Rights Office, City of Nuremberg. "Prizewinners". Human Rights Award. Retrieved 6 February 2023.
  5. ^ Human Rights Office, City of Nuremberg. "Jury". Human Rights Award. Retrieved 7 February 2023.