Civil Rights Defender of the Year 2024: Mariia Sulialina, Ukraine

For her exceptional resilience and dedication to human rights, democracy and children’s right to determine their own future, Mariia Sulialina from Ukraine is awarded the Civil Rights Defender of the Year Award 2024.

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Foro Penal – Civil Rights Defender of the Year Award 2023

With a network of thousands of volunteers and hundreds of lawyers in every region of Venezuela, Foro Penal provides invaluable support to human rights defenders, student activists, and opposition politicians who are politically persecuted by the repressive regime. They have helped over 12 000 individuals, successfully drawn international attention to human rights violations in Venezuela.

Thank you, Foro Penal, for being a source of hope for all of those who want democracy in Venezuela.

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All Award Recipients

Civil Rights Defender of the Year Award 2024 – Mariia Sulialina

  • Award, News, Ukraine
  • 25 April 2024

This year’s Civil Rights Defender of the Year Award goes to Mariia Sulialina, head of the Ukra…

Civil Rights Defender of the Year Award 2023 – Foro Penal

  • Latin America, News, Venezuela
  • 25 April 2023

The influential Venezuelan legal organisation Foro Penal has been awarded the Civil Rights Defender …

Civil Rights Defender of the Year 2022 – Xheni Karaj and Frank Mugisha

  • Albania, Award, News, Uganda
  • 21 April 2022

LGBTI+ activists and human rights defenders Frank Mugisha from Uganda and Xheni Karaj from Albania a…

Civil Rights Defender of the Year 2021 – OVD-Info

  • Award, News, Russia
  • 23 September 2021

The Russian human rights and media project OVD-Info is awarded the Civil Rights Defender of the Year…
All past recipients

About the Award

The Civil Rights Defender of the Year Award is an award for outstanding work in defence of civil and political rights. It is awarded every year by Civil Rights Defenders. With the award, we recognise a prominent human rights defender who, despite the risk to their own safety, continues the struggle for civil and political rights. The award highlights the situation of human rights defenders at risk. It enhances their human rights work by providing international recognition and support to the award recipient.

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