Amnesty International Aotearoa NZ’s Human Rights Defender Award to be announced

Amnesty International Aotearoa New Zealand (AIANZ) will be announcing the recipient of its annual Human Rights Defender Award at a reception in Auckland on International Human Rights Day, 10 December.

Now in its second year running, the Human Rights Defender Award celebrates the achievement of one person who has made an outstanding contribution to the defence, promotion, and/or advancement of human rights in the Asia-Pacific region.

Sixteen nominations have been received for the Human Rights Defender Award, spanning a diverse selection of grassroots to global activists from around Asia, the Pacific and New Zealand.

Nominees include: Contemporary artist Shahriar Asdollah-Zadeh; Singapore opposition leader Chee Soon Juan; AIANZ local activists Dolores Edge and Elena Wrelton; New Zealand civil liberties lawyer Tony Ellis; No Right Turn blogger Idiot/Savant; Fijian human rights lawyer Imrana Jalal; Defence lawyer for the ‘Waihopai three’ Michael Knowles; Maire Leadbetter of the Indonesian Human Rights Committee; TVNZ’s Sunday correspondent Janet McIntyre; Burmese activist and refugee Naing Ko Ko; NZ peace and disarmament campaigner Alyn Ware; and West Papuan activist Yan Christian Warinussy.

The Human Rights Defender Award presentation is timed to mark International Human Rights Day, in celebration of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

WHAT: Presentation of AIANZ’s 2nd annual Human Rights Defender Award

WHEN: Friday 10 December, 7:00pm

WHERE: NZ Human Rights Commission, Level 4, Tower Centre, 45 Queen Street, Auckland

ENDS

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