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	Attorney and Rights Activist Ragia Omran receives Kennedy Award for Human Rights by RFK Center for Justice & Human Rights Egypt   Ragia Omran has received the Robert F. Kennedy Award for Human Rights in 2013 for her work and activism in the field of human rights and defending women’s rights since 1995.   She has also been honored by the Egyptian Lawyers’ Syndicate for her activism in the field of human rights in Egypt, and has been honored on Egyptian Women’s Day in March 2013 for her work and activism in the field of women’s rights and defending human rights.   In 2012, she was also honored by Egyptians against Corruption and Shayfeencom Movement who awarded her the title of Warrior against Corruption for her work in No to Military Trials for Civilians in defending human rights and detainees.   Nov 2013   RFK Center Honors Egyptian Attorney Ragia Omran with Human Rights Award.   Mrs. Robert F. Kennedy, founder of the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights (RFK Center), presented Egyptian human rights attorney Ragia Omran with an award to honor her work and commitment to human rights in Egypt. Ms. Omran, a cutting edge advocate for advancing women’s rights and ending the use of military tribunals against civilians, was nominated in March 2013 for her two decades of advocacy, and was selected for the award on June 24 out of a field of 111 total nominations.   “With dedication and courage, Ms. Omran is often the first to arrive on the scene at jails, police stations, court houses, and military and civilian prosecution offices. Hundreds of peaceful activists have her to thank for successfully securing their release and protecting their rights to freedom of speech and association,” said Kerry Kennedy, President of the RFK Center. “She is a beacon of hope for the women of Egypt and a champion in the global human rights movement. We are proud to honor her with our 30th annual award.”   “Robert F. Kennedy and the Kennedy family have been a lifelong inspiration for me. They are a testament to the idea that one person can make a change in the community and that this change can eventually transform the world,” said Ragia Omran, 2013 RFK Human Rights Awardee. “It is with great honor and humility that I accept this award on behalf of all the courageous Egyptians who have come before me and who have worked alongside me.”   As a leading member of a number of Egypt"s legal advocacy organizations, Ms. Omran and her colleagues at the Front to Defend Egypt Protesters have represented hundreds of civilians ordered to military trial, an increasing trend in Egypt following the overthrow of President Hosni Mubarak.   Ms. Omran has already achieved remarkable victories in her effort to promote equality and justice. She is a member of the No to Military Trials for Civilians Campaign, established in 2011 to provide legal support to detainees and to advocate against the use of military trials of Egyptian civilians. A year after the campaign launched, the group was recognized for raising awareness of the issue of civilian military trials under emergency law.   In addition, for over two decades, Ms. Omran has worked to defend women’s rights in Egypt. In 1995, she helped lead the Egyptian Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) Task Force, which successfully outlawed the practice in public hospitals in Egypt, a nation where 91 percent of women are victims of FGM.   Ms. Omran is currently a member of the New Woman Foundation (NWF) that works to defend women"s social, political, economic, and cultural rights, and was one of the first groups to speak publicly about violence against women in Egypt beginning in the 1990s. NWF has been actively advocating for increased civic participation for women and for women to have a say in the newly formed Egyptian government.   The RFK Center will provide ongoing, long-term support to Ms. Omran in advocacy and strategic initiatives to help further her progress on a range of human rights issues, from women’s rights and protecting protestors, to ending the use of military trials for civilians.   * The RFK Human Rights Award was established in 1984 to recognize those individuals who stand up to oppression at grave personal risk in the nonviolent pursuit of human rights. Visit the related web page
	Voices for Justice by Human Rights Watch   Four courageous and tireless advocates for human rights have been selected as 2013 recipients of the prestigious Alison Des Forges Award for Extraordinary Activism, Human Rights Watch said.   Hassan al-Amin from Libya, Alina Diaz from the United States, Jacqueline Moudeina from Chad, and Natalia Taubina from Russia are leading voices for justice in their countries, working relentlessly to protect the rights and dignity of others. They will join two past international recipients of the award Abbe Benoit Kinalegu, a Congolese priest and Consuelo Morales, director of Citizens in Support of Human Rights from Mexico, as they are honored at Human Rights Watch “Voices for Justice” events in 12 cities worldwide in November 2013 and another nine in March/April 2014.   “These human rights defenders speak out on behalf of some of the world’s most vulnerable people, often in dangerous and difficult circumstances,” said Kenneth Roth, executive director of Human Rights Watch. “They show that courage and persistence can make a difference even during periods of conflict and violent transition.”   The award is named for Dr. Alison Des Forges, senior adviser at Human Rights Watch for almost two decades, who died in a plane crash in New York on February 12, 2009. Des Forges was the world’s leading expert on Rwanda, the 1994 genocide, and its aftermath. The Human Rights Watch annual award honors her outstanding commitment to, and defense of, human rights. It celebrates the valor of people who put their lives on the line to create a world free from abuse, discrimination, and oppression.   Alina Diaz, US   Alina Diaz is farmworker advocate and founding board member of Alianza Nacional de Campesinas (National Alliance of Female Farmworkers), which works to promote the rights of female farmworkers in the United States.Hundreds of thousands of farmworker women and girls face a high risk of sexual violence and harassment at work on a daily basis. Diaz began her work as a community outreach educator traveling to immigrant communities to raise awareness about the right to report domestic violence, sexual abuse, and other mistreatment. Diaz has helped get the voices of farmworker women heard at the national level, where she works to educate policymakers and the public about the dangers these women face. Human Rights Watch honors Diaz for her dedication to ending the egregious abuses against farmworkers in the United States.   Hassan al-Amin, Libya   Hassan al-Amin has worked for three decades to expose human rights violations and promote democracy in Libya. After Muammar Gaddafi’s security forces arrested and beat him in 1983, al-Amin fled to the United Kingdom, where he founded the independent website Libya al-Mostakbal and became one of Libya’s most active dissidents in exile. In 2011, during the uprising against Gaddafi, al-Amin returned to his native Misrata, then under siege, to document human rights abuses. After Gaddafi’s fall he was elected to the transitional parliament. As chairman of the Human Rights and Civil Society Committee he investigated arbitrary arrests and the torture of prisoners, and criticized powerful anti-Gaddafi militias that refused to disarm. In March 2013, facing death threats from militias, al-Amin gave up his seat and returned to London, where he has resumed publication of Libya al-Mostakbal. Human Rights Watch honors al-Amin for his commitment to exposing abuses and protecting human rights in Libya.   Natalia Taubina, Russia   Natalia Taubina is a Russian activist who works to protect victims of police abuse and bring transparency to law enforcement. Taubina runs Public Verdict, founded in 2004 to provide free legal aid and rehabilitation support to victims of widespread police torture, corruption, and lack of effective investigations and other unlawful actions in Russia’s law enforcement system. Under Taubina’s leadership, Public Verdict has successfully worked for reforms that promote accountability. Taubina is a leading critic of the harsh crackdown on civil society since Vladimir Putin’s return to the presidency in 2012. In response to the criticism, the authorities have been trying to shut down Public Verdict, which the organization is fighting in court. Human Rights Watch honors Taubina for her unwavering commitment to protecting victims of police abuse and fighting for justice in Russia.   Jacqueline Moudeina, Chad   Jacqueline Moudeina is leading the efforts to hold the exiled former Chadian dictator Hissene Habre accountable for atrocity crimes and to achieve justice for his victims in Chad. Despite being injured in an assassination attempt in 2001 Moudeina has pursued the charges, and earlier this year won an important victory when a special court in Senegal indicted the former dictator for crimes against humanity, war crimes, and torture and placed him in detention. Human Rights Watch honors Moudeina for her commitment to bringing justice to the victims of Habre and protecting human rights in Chad.   Abbe Benoit Kinalegu, Democratic Republic of Congo   Abbe Benoit Kinalegu exposes abuses committed by the rebel Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) and works to rehabilitate its victims. The LRA terrorizes citizens in central Africa by killing, raping, and abducting civilians, including children. Kinalegu helped establish an Early Warning Network to report suspected LRA activity via radio, and he also works on rehabilitation programs for LRA victims who have escaped. He has become a powerful voice urging the international community to bring LRA commanders to justice. Human Rights Watch honors Kinalegu for his commitment to protecting civilians and ending the threat posed by the LRA.   Consuelo Morales, Mexico   Consuelo Morales works in Mexico to defend victims of human rights violations and hold their abusers to account. Security forces have committed widespread violations against civilians ­– including torture, rape, and enforced disappearances – yet their crimes are virtually never investigated. In the face of persistent threats, Morales’ organization has led efforts in the state of Nuevo Leon to document these abuses, litigate key cases, and provide critical support for victims of both security forces and violent drug cartels. Human Rights Watch honors Morales for her courageous efforts to end impunity and aid victims of abuses in Mexico’s “war on drugs.”   http://www.hrw.org/news/2013/08/28/honoring-rights-activists-russia-us-libya-chad http://www.hrw.org/voices-for-justice Visit the related web page
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