"We live in dark times. It seems we are assailed daily with fresh atrocities. Welcome to a celebration of the courage of those who bring light and love to our world."
Andrew Anderson, Executive Director
The annual Front Line Defenders Award was established in 2005 to honour the work of HRDs who are courageously making outstanding contributions to the promotion and protection of the human rights of others, often at great personal risk to themselves. The Award focuses international attention on the work and struggles of HRDs, providing a greater national and international platform to speak about and advocate for the human rights issues they are defending.
2020 Front Line Defenders Award for
Human Rights Defenders at Risk Winners
Badr Baabou speaking at the 2019 Front Line Defenders Award Ceremony in Dublin.
About the Front Line Defenders Award for Human Rights Defenders at Risk
The annual Front Line Defenders Award for Human Rights Defenders at Risk was established in 2005 to honour the work of a human rights defender who, through non-violent work, is courageously making an outstanding contribution to the promotion and protection of the human rights of others, often at great personal risk to themselves.
In 2014 the Al-Jazeera Media Network became the global media partner for the Front Line Defenders Award, giving much wider coverage of the ceremony and of the defender's work to a global audience.
In 2018, Front Line Defenders changed the format of the Award, naming 5 Regional Award Winners, with the Irish jury selecting one among them as the Global Laureate. In 2020, due to security concerns, Front Line Defenders did not publicize the name of the woman human rights defender selected for the Middle East & North Africa and instead recognized women human rights defenders in Iraq as winners of the award, acknowledging the unprecedented wave of attacks against them in recent months.
The Award focuses international attention on the human rights defender's work, thus contributing to the recipient’s personal security.
Previous Winners of the Front Line Defenders Award for Human Rights Defenders at Risk
2020 - Africa: Mekfoula Mint Brahim, Mauritania
- Americas: Guardia Indígena del Cauca, Colombia
- Asia: Juwairiya Mohideen, Sri Lanka
- Europe & Central Asia: Lara Aharonian, Armenia
- Middle East & North Africa: Women Human Rights
Defenders, Iraq
2019 Award Winners; Global Laureate: Badr Baabou, Tunisia
2018 Award Winners; Global Laureate: Nurcan Baysal, Turkey
2017 Emil Kurbedinov, Ukraine
2016 Ana Mirian Romero, Honduras
2015 Guo Feixiong, China
2014 SAWERA, Pakistan
2013 Biram Dah Abeid, Mauritania
2012 Razan Ghazzawi, Syria
2011 Joint Mobile Group, Russian Federation
2010 Soraya Rahim Sobhrang, Afghanistan
2009 Yuri Melini, Guatemala
2008 Anwar Al-Bunni, Syria
2007 Gégé Katana, Democratic Republic of Congo
2006 Ahmadjan Madmarov, Uzbekistan
2005 Mudawi Ibrahim Adam, Sudan
