Dr Yuri Melini was awarded the Front Line Award because of his work to uphold the rights indigenous people of Guatemala against the ruthless interests of the logging and mining companies who put the profits of their companies before the interests of the community. On 4 September Yuri Melini was shot 7 times as he was leaving his home and as a result spent 22 days in intensive care. He was shot because his human rights work challenged the interests of powerful people.