(Press release, 18.12.2023). Today’s International Human Rights Day (10 December) marks the 75th anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the United Nations General Assembly. On this occasion, the Foreign Ministers of Germany and France, Annalena Baerbock and Catherine Colonna, are today announcing this year’s 12 winners of the Franco-German Prize for Human Rights and the Rule of Law.
The prizewinners head non-governmental organisations and are lawyers, journalists or activists working to defend the inalienable rights of each and every human being. They stand up for those whose voices would often not be heard without them, such as women, refugees, LGBTIQ+ people and prisoners. They are committed to the cause of justice, political participation and unbiased reporting in the media, often risking their own freedom, frequently even their lives, under the most difficult conditions.
This year’s prizewinners include the following people:
- Fadel Abdulghany, Syria
- Marianela Balbi Ochoa, Venezuela
- Chow Hang-Tung, SAR Hong Kong, China
- Danièle Darlan, the Central African Republic
- Choman Hardi, Iraq
- Gisèle Khoury, Lebanon
- Hanna Machińska, Poland
- Takyiwaa Manuh, Ghana
- Anny Modi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Oluwaseun Osowobi, Nigeria
- Valery Wichman, Cook Islands
Since 2016, France and Germany have used International Human Rights Day as an opportunity to jointly pay tribute to individuals around the world who have shown outstanding commitment to promoting human rights. The Franco-German Prize for Human Rights and the Rule of Law honours civil society’s commitment to human dignity and the inalienable human rights of all people. After all, protecting, preserving and strengthening human rights is a prerequisite for freedom, justice and peace around the world.
