Past Winners

2005: Yan Christian Warinussy (West Papua)

Yan Christian Warinussy, has been a dedicated human rights activist for more than fifteen years in West Papua, a territory under Indonesia’s military control since 1963. Lawyer and Director of the Institute for Research, Analysing, and Development of Legal Aid (LP3BH), Mr. Warinussy has demonstrated an exceptional commitment to shedding light on gross human rights violations in West Papua and defending people whose rights are ignored, despite repeated intimidation and threats to his personal safety.

2004: Godeliève Mukasarasi (Rwanda)

A survivor of the 1994 genocide, Ms. Mukasarasi has gone on to make an invaluable contribution to the promotion of human rights and democratic development in Rwanda as the founder of SEVOTA , a support group for the widows and orphans of the April 19, 1994, massacre of Tutsi in the town of Taba, and as a social worker with the Women's Network for Rural Development.

2003: Kimy Pernia Domicó (Columbia) and Angélica Mendoz de Ascarza (Peru)

Kimy Pernía Domicó is a respected leader of the Embera Katio people of Colombia's Cordoba province. Mr. Domicó played a pivotal role in his people's fight against the construction of the Urra 1 hydroelectric dam, a mega-project partly funded by Canadian investment and serious threat to the survival of the Embera Katio. In June, 2001, Mr. Domicó was abducted shortly after meeting a Canadian delegation that included representatives of Rights & Democracy. His fate is still unknown. Mr. Domicó's daughter, Martha Cecilia, will accept the prize on her father's behalf.

Angélica Mendoza de Ascarza exemplifies the incredible courage of ordinary citizens cast into extraordinary circumstances. Since the abduction and disappearance of her 19-year-old son, Arquimedes, in 1983, Ms. Mendoza de Ascarza's has led a tireless campaign to uncover his fate and that of thousands of other victims of Peru's civil war. Ms. Mendoza de Ascarza's work is cited as a key inspiration behind the establishment of Peru's Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

2002: Ayesha Imam (Nigeria)

Ayesha Imam has been selected as this year's John Humphrey Freedom Award recipient for her exemplary contribution to the women's rights movement, and in particular for her work against the new restrictive and discriminatory Sharia criminal laws in Nigeria, as carried out through the human rights organization BAOBAB for Women's Human Rights.  In the face of threats and harassment, Ayesha Imam has mobilized civil society organizations across Nigeria to challenge conservative religious laws that are being used to perpetuate violence against women.

2001: Dr. Sima Samar (Afghanistan)

In the face of threats to her own safety, Dr. Samar has defied the Taliban's edicts that deny women and girls their basic rights to education, employment, mobility and medical care. Since 1989, Dr. Samar has been operating schools for girls and health clinics in many of the provinces of Afghanistan as well as in the refugee camps in Quetta, Pakistan. She has shown an incredible commitment towards assisting Afghan women in their struggles to end their oppression and to provide them with access to healthcare and education services. She is a strong advocate for the involvement of Afghan women in government and the reconstruction of civil society in Afghanistan.

2000: Reverend Timothy Njoya (Kenya)

From the pulpit to the streets, Reverend Njoya has been calling for freedom from the political dictatorship in Kenya for almost two decades. This Presbyterian Minister is also a very enthusiastic supporter of women's human rights, having established the Men for Equality with Women (MEW) lobby group and working with UNIFEM to popularize equal rights for men and women in Kenya.  With Reverend Njoya in the lead, the church has emerged as one of the few institutions willing to challenge Kenya's government under President Daniel Arap Moi.  Reverend Njoya's fearlessness and outspokenness have led Kenyan authorities to accuse him of subversion. During pro-democracy gatherings in 1997 and in 1999, Reverend Njoya was brutally beaten by police and hospitalized. His home was also ransacked.