On Sunday, November 10, 2013, 370 guests gathered at Fess Parker's Doubletree in Santa Barbara to celebrate the work of two courageous human rights activists--Alina Diaz from the U.S. and Natalia Taubina from Russia. Vicki Riskin, co-chair of the HRW Santa Barbara Committee welcomed the audience, and introduced Joel Motley, new co-chair of the HRW International Board. Throughout the night, guests also heard from Cheryl Justice and Susan Rose, co-chairs of the HRW Santa Barbara Committee, as well as Ole Solvang, HRW senior researcher and security advisor, who had recently returned from a trip to Syria. Alina Diaz and Natalia Taubina received standing ovations as they were presented with The Alison Des Forges Award for Extraordinary Activism. The event raised over $450,000 for Human Rights Watch. We are grateful to all of the individuals and businesses whose generosity and support made the event a resounding success!