The Martin Ennals Prize honors three human rights activists this year. Vietnamese journalist Pham Doan Trang, Burkinabé Daouda Diallo and Bahraini Abdul-Hadi Al-Khawaja are rewarded, the Martin Ennals Foundation announced on Wednesday in Geneva.
“The jury has chosen three inspiring figures from the human rights movement”, notes the president of the jury, Hans Thoolen. In Vietnam, Pham Doan Trang fought for fundamental freedoms for many years, before being recently sentenced to nine years in prison. The UN has called for his release, while the Ennals Foundation is worried about his health.
This activist “suffers from serious illnesses and has no access to a doctor or a lawyer”, one of her advisers told the press. She was beaten by the police, an attitude that partially disabled her. This award is “the strongest message” for the authoritarian regime in Vietnam that the international community supports it, said his relative.
Staunch human rights defender and prominent dissident Pham Doan Trang is named as one of the 2022 Martin Ennals awardees by a panel of jury made up of members of 10 well-known human rights organizations.
The Vietnamese journalist Pham Doan Trang, the human rights activist in Bahrain Abdul-Hadi Al-Khawaja and the doctor Dauda Diallo, from Burkina Faso, are the three finalists this year for the prestigious Martin Prize Ennals, as announced today by the organizers of the award.
The three nominees fight for fundamental freedoms in their respective countries and two of them (Trang and Al-Khawaja) are in prison because of their activism, reported the Martin Ennals Foundation, which has awarded these awards since 1994.
The award jury, made up of members of 10 well-known human rights organizations, highlighted the extraordinary legacy these people leave behind and their courage to inspire others.
Trang, 43 years old and detained since 2020, became one of the visible faces of the opposition to the authoritarian regime in Vietnam.
The journalist, through media such as the Luat Khoa and Liberal publishing houses, denounced various human rights violations that occur in her country and tried to make public opinion aware of their fundamental rights.
This led to a nine-year prison sentence for “propaganda against the state.”
BBC News Tiếng Việt reveals the announcement of acclaimed journalist and human rights activist Pham Doan Trang as on of the 2022 Laureates of the Martin Ennals Awards, also known as the Noble Prize for Human Rights.
Pham Doan Trang, sentenced to nine years in prison by Vietnam in December, has just been awarded a human rights award by an organization in Geneva.
The 2022 Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders was presented to Ms. Doan Trang, Daouda Diallo of Burkina Faso and Abdul-Hadi Al-Khawaja of Bahrain.
The January 19 announcement said Pham Doan Trang was “a leading journalist, editor and democracy activist in Vietnam, where the Communist Party leaves little room for opposition voices.” develop”.
‘Independent media’
“She has run many independent media outlets to raise awareness among Vietnamese about their basic rights, and inspired many other journalists and activists to speak out.”
“She is one of the most sought-after activists by the government in Vietnam. In October 2020, she was arrested. On December 14, 2021, Pham Doan Trang was sentenced to nine years in prison for “declaring a statement.” anti-state propaganda.” More and more voices are concerned about her health condition.
The organizers say their award is given to Human Rights Defenders in urgent need of protection, such as those in prison or threatened with imprisonment.
Each of these winners will be awarded a prize money of 20,000-30,000 Swiss francs.
The organizers say the importance of this award is not only financial, but can contribute to their protection through the support of famous figures in the world.
Each year, the Martin Ennals Award provides recognition and protection to human rights defenders who strive for freedom, justice, equality and accountability in their communities and countries, often at the risk of their own lives.
Pham Doan Trang is a leading journalist, editor and democracy advocate in Vietnam, where the Communist Party has left little room for opposition voices to flourish. She directed several independent media outlets to raise awareness amongst Vietnam’s citizens of their fundamental rights galvanising many other journalists and human rights defenders to speak up. She was one of the most hunted activists in her country before being arrested in October 2020. On 14 December 2021, Pham Doan Trang was sentenced to nine years in prison for “conducting propaganda against the state”. There are growing concerns about her health.
Trinh Huu Long, co-director of Legal Initiatives for VIETNAM attended the Martin Ennals Awards Press Conference honoring the 2022 Laureates which included his mentor and personal friend, Pham Doan Trang.
Publish Date: January 19, 2022
Press Conference Speech:
Thank you Mr. Hans Thoolen.
I am deeply honored to represent my mentor and my best friend Pham Doan Trang today in this event. Foremostly, I would like to thank the Jury, the Martin Ennals Foundation, and the City of Geneva for recognizing and honoring Doan Trang.
Almost exactly 8 years ago, Doan Trang landed in Geneva for the first time in her life, to attend the UPR hearing on Vietnam, to meet with the United Nations’ representatives and human rights organizations, and to advocate for human rights and democracy in the country that she loves so much. I had the privilege of accompanying her during that trip. And now, she’s honored by the human rights community in the city of Geneva.
She should be able to be here today with us. Not in prison. And not with a nine years imprisonment sentenced last December with absolutely no hope of overturning the verdict. She is currently being jailed in Hanoi, suffering from severe illnesses without immediate medical attention, without legal representation, and without family visitation.
Before being jailed, Doan Trang was one of the most hunted activists in Vietnam. She was constantly abducted by the police, being beaten up badly on occasions, resulting in her serious leg injuries and sustaining partial disability. Since her return to Vietnam in 2015, she was constantly on the run every two weeks or two months, and lived in nearly 100 different places across the country.
Doan Trang’s story represents the state of human rights in Vietnam. You probably often hear fancy words about Vietnam today as a rising star, an Asian tiger, or a tourist destination. Some of that may ring true. But the other side of the country is ugly. We are a “not free” country according to Freedom House; we are ranked at the bottom of the Press Freedom Index of Reporters Without Borders, only better than Eritrea, North Korea, Turkmenistan, China, and Djibouti; and we are having more than 200 prisoners of conscience, Doan Trang included. The authoritarian regime in Vietnam, led by the Communist Party of Vietnam, has given no space for citizens to participate in politics meaningfully, free and fair elections cannot be found anywhere, making Vietnam a smaller version of authoritarian China.
And that’s why Doan Trang had to fight.
Doan Trang’s story is a prime example of how we can empower others through kindness, encouragement, and modeling. She writes articles and books, she teaches, she founded independent newspapers and publishing houses. Her kindness touches people’s hearts, her encouragement lifts people up, and her modeling inspires people to follow.
She is the change she wanted to see in the world.
And with that, it’s just so obvious that she’s one of the most influential journalists and activists that we have had in Vietnam since the end of the Vietnam War.
The Martin Ennals Award that she receives today is a strong and clear message to the Vietnamese authoritarian government, and more importantly, to the Vietnamese people, that what she’s been doing is right, and the international community is standing by her. It’s true that we are witnessing democracy retreat around the world. We are also witnessing major setbacks in human rights developments in Vietnam, making 2021 probably the worst year since 2000. But people like Abdul-Hadi Al-Khawaj, Dr. Daouda Diallo, and Doan Trang represent hope for a better future. And there is hope for a democratic future for Vietnam.
Thank you.
Watch the Martin Ennals Awards – Press Conference.
