(Annually, the Per Anger Prize is awarded to individuals and organizations that have made great efforts promoting democracy
and human rights. This year's winner is Justine Ijeomah, founder of the
Nigerian human rights organization HURSDEF (Human Rights Social Development and
Environmental Foundation).
Per Anger Prize is an
international award that was instituted in 2004 by the Swedish government in
order to promote democracy and human rights. The Living History Forum has been
commissioned to nominate the winner, appoint a jury and organize all the
various aspects of the prize.
The prize is named after Per Anger who, as
secretary of the Swedish legation in Budapest, initiated Sweden’s work to save
as many people as possible from persecution and death during the Second World
War in Nazi-occupied Hungary. This year’s winner of the Per Anger Prize is
Justine Ijeomah, founder of the Nigerian human rights organization HURSDEF (Human
Rights Social Development and Environmental Foundation) and the justification
is:
For, in a context of brutal police violence,
abuse, death threats and assassination attempts, steadfastly fighting against
human rights abuses, particularly among the poor and lower-educated, and for
single-mindedly working to abolish the death penalty, we award Justine Ijeomah
of Nigeria the 2013 Per Anger Prize.
Although
Nigeria is a democracy, illegal arrests, extrajudicial executions, torture and
disappearances are relatively common. In emergency situations, Justine Ijeomah
and other activists in HURSDEF go to detention facilities and police stations
in order to reduce the risk of maltreatment through their very presence, and to
try to get the person released on bail. Those who are arrested are often street
children with no other form of representation at all. Justine Ijeomah also
works to initiate investigations when people have disappeared or been arrested.
This work can also include getting bodies released from morgues or attending
court proceedings.
On many occasions, Justine Ijeomah has
received death threats and been forced to go underground. He has been arrested,
severely beaten and tortured and survived several serious attempts on his life.
The award
ceremony will be held in the Swedish capitol Stockholm at November 14.
The
nomination organizations are Amnesty International, Civil Rights
Defenders, Diakonia, UNA-Sweden, the International Commission of Jurists
Swedish Section, Reporters without Borders, Swedish Pen, the Red Cross and the
Church of Sweden.
Jonas Morian
Press secretary
The Living History Forum
Int'l phone: +46 (0)70-259
38 19
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