{"id":9856,"date":"2021-01-18T14:46:00","date_gmt":"2021-01-18T14:46:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/humanrightsdefenders.blog\/?p=19162"},"modified":"2021-01-18T14:46:00","modified_gmt":"2021-01-18T14:46:00","slug":"%e2%80%8b%e2%80%8bmartin-ennals-award-finalists-2021-announced","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/2021\/01\/18\/%e2%80%8b%e2%80%8bmartin-ennals-award-finalists-2021-announced\/","title":{"rendered":"\u200b\u200bMartin Ennals Award Finalists 2021 announced"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Today 18 January 2021, the Martin Ennals Foundation announced that three outstanding human rights defenders based in authoritarian states are nominated for the 2021 Martin Ennals Award. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In isolated Turkmenistan<\/strong>, Soltan Achilova<\/strong><\/span><\/a> documents human rights violations and abuses through photojournalism. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Imprisoned in Saudi Arabia<\/strong>, Loujain AlHathloul<\/strong><\/span><\/a> is a leading advocate for gender equality and women\u2019s rights. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A lawyer, Yu Wensheng<\/a> d<\/strong><\/span>efended human rights cases and activists before his conviction and imprisonment in China<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Finalists distinguish themselves by their bravery and deep commitment to the issues they defend, despite the many attempts to silence them by respective governmental authorities. The 2021 Martin Ennals Award Ceremony will celebrate their courage on 11 February during an online ceremony hosted jointly with the City of Geneva which, as part of its commitment to human rights, has for many years supported the Award.\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cEvery year thousands of human rights defenders are persecuted, harassed, imprisoned, even killed. The Martin Ennals Foundation is honored to celebrate the 2021 Finalists, who have done so much for others and whose stories of adversity are emblematic of the precarity faced by the human rights movement today<\/em>\u201d, says Isabel de Sola<\/a>, Director of the Martin Ennals Foundation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For more on this and similar awards, see: https:\/\/www.trueheroesfilms.org\/thedigest\/award\/043F9D13-640A-412C-90E8-99952CA56DCE<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c<\/em>Authoritarian states tend to believe that by jailing or censoring human rights defenders, the world will forget about them. During the COVID-pandemic, it seemed like lockdowns would successfully keep people from speaking out. This year\u2019s Finalists are a testament to the fact that nothing could be further from the truth<\/em>\u201d<\/em>, <\/em>says Hans Thoolen<\/a>, Chair of the Jury.<\/p>\n\n\n\n