A jury composed of ten of the most important human rights NGOs in the world – Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, FIDH, HURIDOCS, Brot für die Welt, Human Rights First, World Organization Against Torture (OMCT), International Commission of Jurists (ICJ), International Service for Human Rights ( ISHR) and Front Line Defenders – has selected, after extensive deliberations, the two human rights defenders who, in its opinion, deserve to be recognized and honored with the 2024 Prize, on the occasion of 30th anniversary of the Martin Ennals Prize.
The two 2024 Laureates, Zholia Parsi (Afghanistan) And Manuchehr Kholiqnazarov (Tajikistan) have demonstrated exceptional courage and determination to bring human rights to the forefront, despite the deeply repressive environments in which they operate.
“We are very proud to honor these two exceptional recipients. They have paid too heavy a price for justice and equality to be respected in Afghanistan and Tajikistan, the international community must support their efforts instead of competing for geostrategic interests in the region” (Hans Thoolen, President of the Jury of the Martin Ennals Prize).
The two 2024 Laureates
- Zholia Parsi is a teacher from Kabul, Afghanistan. After losing her career and seeing her daughters deprived of education following the Taliban takeover in August 2021, she founded a protest movement, the Spontaneous Movement of Afghan Women (SMAW)to protest against the return of policies and practices contrary to women’s rights and fundamental freedoms. She demonstrated remarkable leadership and resilience by organizing numerous public protests despite the risks involved. A popular movement, the SMAW quickly gained momentum in Kabul and other provinces. It now has 180 members and has mobilized communities to resist Taliban policies and practices.
In September 2023, Zholia Parsi was arrested in the street by armed Taliban and then detained, along with her son. She was released after three months of torture and ill-treatment, which strengthened her resolve to resist Taliban oppression and repression.
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Manuchehr Kholiqnazarov is a Pamiri lawyer from the Gorno Badakhshan Autonomous Region (GBAO) in Tajikistan. He is currently serving a 16-year prison sentence following a trial widely considered unfair and in retaliation for his human rights work.
As director of Pamir Lawyers Associationhe led strategic advocacy actions in the GBAO – a region characterized by its ethnic minority and historical tensions with the central government – including calling for the incorporation of international human rights standards into national legislation and practices , and by providing legal support to residents of the GBAO.
As part of local initiatives, Commission 44 and Group 6, he played a key role in the investigation into the death of Gulbiddin Ziyobekov in November 2021, a Pamiri youth figure, and the violent repression of the movement demonstration which ensued in the regional capital of Khorog. This investigation made it possible to gather essential evidence of the unlawful killing, even extrajudicial execution, of this young man, as well as the illegal use of force by security forces against demonstrators, resulting in death. two people, seventeen injured and hundreds of arrests.
He was arrested on May 28, 2022 along with two other members of Commission 44, amid widespread repression against local figureheads and residents of the GBAO.
More information in the press kit to download below.
Contact
Manon Karatas
Director, Martin Ennals Foundation
@e-mail
Such. +41 76 320 80 36
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