Human rights tulip 2022: these are the nominees | News item

News item | 21-10-2022 | 09:23

What is the Human Rights Tulip?

The Human Rights Tulip is an annual prize awarded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to a human rights defender or human rights organization to support them in the important work they do. The winner will receive the bronze tulip and a cash prize of 100,000 euros. This amount and international visibility will help the winner to continue and expand human rights work.

Nominees Human Rights Tulip 2022

Out of 80 applications, 10 candidates have been selected for the shortlist of the Human Rights Tulip 2022. These are individuals and organizations from all over the world. They have been selected on the basis of, among other things, the social impact of their work and their courage to work for the promotion of human rights, despite threats and attacks. These are the nominees:

People

• Adeola Oyinlade is a human rights lawyer who stands up for the rights of his Nigerian compatriots. He developed a free app for this: Know-Your-Rights-Nigeria. The multilingual app provides explanations in all fundamental rights, and allows instant chat with Oyinlade and 50 other lawyers on human rights issues. He also played a prominent role in the implementation of the Nigerian anti-torture law.
• Ling Ouch has been committed to, among other things, human and environmental rights in Cambodia for 22 years. By investigating abuses and exposing corruption, he makes a case for population groups that are disadvantaged by companies or the government. Think of local communities that are losing their habitat due to large-scale deforestation.
• Nadia Muradi defends the rights of the Yazidis in Sinjar, Iraq, with her organization Nadia’s Initiative. They have suffered greatly from ISIS since 2014. Nadia’s Initiative contributes to mass grave investigations, brings ISIS perpetrators to justice and calls for the rescue of nearly 2,800 Yazidi women and children who are still missing or imprisoned. Murad won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2018.
• Philip Obajic is a journalist from Nigeria who has been working for the past decade to protect refugees and displaced persons and tell their stories. His reports included the victims of the Boko Haram uprising in Nigeria and female survivors of the conflict in Mali who were sold to human traffickers in Niger. Obaji managed to publish these stories in the world’s leading newspapers and magazines.

Organizations

• Casa Frida is a Mexican human rights organization that has been hosting victims of gay, transphobic violence and hate crimes against LGBTIQ+ people since 2020. Violence has increased in recent years. Casa Frida offers protection and psychosocial support, and helps victims – including many migrants – with social, economic and cultural (re)integration into society.
• Human Rights Center Viasna is a human rights organization founded in 1996 during mass protests against democratic opposition in Belarus. Today Viasna is committed to monitoring the human rights situation in Belarus and to spread awareness about democracy and human rights. The organization also stands up for civilians and political prisoners. Since 2003, the organization has been operating illegally in Belarus.
• PEN Belarus is an organization that promotes the freedom and rights of writers and journalists in Belarus, and researching human rights issues. For example, the organization is investigating the violence against protesters in the 2020 presidential election. The organization has been forced to close its center in Belarus, but is continuing its work from Poland.
• LGBTIQ+ coalition Hungary is a partnership between Amnesty International Hungary and Háttér Society. They conduct research into the rights of LGBTIQ+ people, conduct campaigns, help with legal issues and raise awareness. An important milestone was a campaign in 2022 against a referendum that would curtail the rights of LGBTIQ+ people. The referendum failed to win a majority of the votes in Hungarian society.
• Thai Lawyers for Human Rights is an organization founded in 2014 by a group of human rights lawyers and social activists, two days after the military coup in Thailand. The lawyers provide pro-bono legal assistance to people affected by arbitrariness, or tried for exercising their civil and political rights. The organization is also committed to raising awareness among the Thai population, and works closely with other human rights organizations and the UN.
• Ukraine 5 AM Coalition is a network of more than 30 Ukrainian human rights organizations dedicated to the collection and documentation of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by Russia. Its name is 5 AM, because at that time on February 24, 2022, the war broke out in Ukraine. The aim of the coalition is to protect victims of Russian aggression and to bring perpetrators and those responsible to justice.

What now?

Based on the 10 nominees, an independent jury will select the top-3. It will be announced in the second week of November.