Press Release - Three Human Rights Defenders selected as Finalists for the 2019 Martin Ennals Award

Geneva, Wednesday 24 October 2018

Three Human RightsDefenders

selected as Finalistsfor the

2019 Martin EnnalsAward

Geneva - Honouring Martin Ennals,Amnesty International Secretary-General from 1968 to 1980, the Martin EnnalsAward is chosen by ten leading humanrights organizations (See Below). Laureates are selected because they havedemonstrated a deep commitment to human rights, often working under threat ofimprisonment, torture, or worse. The international recognition provided by theAward, on top of raising their profile and their work, often providessignificant protection.

The 2019 MartinEnnals Award will be presented on 13 February 2019 at a ceremony hosted by theCity of Geneva, which for many years has strongly supported the Award.

Ms Eren Keskin(Turkey)

Eren Keskin is a lawyer and human rights activist. For more than thirtyyears, she has struggled for fundamental rights and freedoms in Turkey,especially for the Kurds, women and the LGBTI+ community. Within the context of the worsening human rights situation in Turkey,Keskin is once again at the centre of intimidation attempts. As part of a solidarity campaign to supportthe Özgür Gündem newspaper, Keskin held the title of “editor-in-chief” of thenewspaper from 2013 to 2016, when it was closed by the authorities. On 30 March 2018, shewas convicted and sentenced to 12.5 years in jail for having published articlesdeemed to have “degraded” the Turkish nation and “insulted” the Turkish president. She is currently free while the case isappealed.

She stated: “Todefend human rights is not easy in our territory. I am being prosecutedwith 143 charges for my solidarity with an opposition newspaper in the contextof freedom of expression. International awards and solidarity have“protective” characteristics and reassure those of us in repressive societies.It also it gives us a morale boost and helps our motivation for the struggle.Thank you for not forgetting us. Your solidarity and protection mean so much.

Mr Marino CordobaBerrio (Colombia)

A member of theAfro-Colombian ethnic group, he led his community as they faced the loss of their land to powerfulcommercial interests, notably in logging and mining. After successfully workingtowards the legal recognition of their community’s land rights, much of hiscommunity was driven out by force in 1996. Constant threats and attacks drovehim to seek asylum in the United States in 2002 where he built a network ofsupporters. He returned to Colombia in 2012 and worked to ensure a role forethnic communities in the peace agreement, notably as a member of “EthnicCommission for Peace and the Defense of Territorial Rights ” that providesinput as the peace agreement is implemented. He has regularly received death threats and is under constant armedguard.

He stated, “Wehave historically been excluded politically, socially and economically, also affectedby war, providing measures of overcoming is a primary responsibility of theState. I believe in the power of my mind and my hands as a determinant to dowhat is right, therefore the justice that is applied to my people is crucialfor their survival. It is also in our hands to promote those changes so thiseffort involves exposing my own life.”

Mr Abdul Aziz Muhamat(Papua New Guinea/Australia)

Abdul Aziz Muhamat (Aziz), fromSudan, is a compelling and tireless advocate for refugee rights. Seeking asylum, he has been held in Australian immigration detention on ManusIsland, Papua New Guinea since October 2013, when his boat was intercepted bythe Australian authorities. Aziz has seen friends die. He has been shot at bylocal police. He was also sent to a local prison for refusing to eat in protestat the cruelty and suffering being inflicted on others. Aziz is one of theprimary public voices among the men held on Manus Island. Despite the isolatedlocation, he has exposed the harsh conditions there through podcasts and mediainterviews. He has paid a price for this as he is seen as a “ring leader” byboth the PNG and Australian authorities.

He stated: “Mywork to expose this cruel system helps preserve my self-respect and inherenthuman dignity. It helps me fight for the rights of every refugee around theuniverse, which I’ll do until my last breath. It is not always easy when livingunder conditions of fear and persecution. Yet even under the most crushingstate machinery, courage rises up again and again, for fear is not the naturalstate and I will do everything to keep going.”

The main award of the human rights movement. The Martin EnnalsAward for Human Rights Defenders (MEA) is a unique collaboration among ten ofthe world’s leading human rights organizations to give protection to human rights defenders worldwide. The Jury is composed of the following NGOs:

- Amnesty International,

- Human Rights Watch,

- Human Rights First,

- FIDH - Int’l Federation for Human Rights,

- World Organisation Against Torture,

- Front Line Defenders,

- International Commission of Jurists,

- Brot fuer die Welt

- International Service for Human Rights,

- HURIDOCS.

Electronic version with Bios, Photos, and Video: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/9er8martw4in4v4/AABrAZMj0ERaifcJRRVVs7mTa?dl=0

Password: 11ekmcaam@22

For further information, please contact:Michael Khambatta +41 79 474 8208

khambatta@martinennalsaward.org or visit www.martinennalsaward.org