On Tuesday, November 14, Human
Rights Watch will give its highest recognition to five leading human
rights activists who have defended civilians in brutal
wars in Chechnya and Sierra Leone, and worked to build civil
society from the ground up in China, Jordan and India.
Those we honor have shown great courage and dedication to the cause of human rights," said Kenneth Roth, executive director of Human Rights Watch. "They have worked tirelessly - often in deadly environments -- to expose rights abuses and to turn the international spotlight on their countries."
The 2000 Human Rights Watch Annual Dinners in New York and Los Angeles will honor: a surgeon from Chechnya, a leading human rights lawyer in Sierra Leone, activists working to end so-called "honor crimes" in Jordan, an advocate for the "Untouchables" in India and an Uighur businesswoman from China, currently serving an eight-year prison term.
Human Rights Watch is a non-profit, international monitoring group with headquarters in New York. It accepts no financial support from any government.
The 2000 Human Rights Watch Honorees are:
Dr. Khassan Baiev (Russia) -- A doctor and surgeon, Khassan Baiev organized a hospital in his village in Chechnya when war returned in late 1999. He treated both Chechens and Russians, at one point performing more than 60 amputations in 48 hours. In January, a Chechen warlord threatened to execute him for treating Russian soldiers. Days later, his home was looted and burned by Russian forces. In February, many of his patients were executed by Russian forces, and Khassan had to flee when Russian forces labeled him a terrorist doctor for treating Chechen commander Shamil Basaev. Khassan kept a careful diary of abuses in the war, and provided detailed information on war crimes in Chechnya to Human Rights Watch. More..
Abdul Tejan-Cole (Sierra Leone) -- Mr. Tejan-Cole is a prominent human rights lawyer in Sierra Leone, representing clients whose human rights and civil liberties have been violated. He is the human rights officer for Sierra Leone's Campaign for Good Governance and is also the coordinator of the Lawyers Committee for Human Rights in Sierra Leone, an organization that educates and advocates to promote fundamental human rights. Abdul's work during the on-going civil war in Sierra Leone has been brave and instrumental in bringing the gross human rights violations and atrocities to the world's attention. More..
Martin Macwan (India) -- Martin Macwan is the Convenor of the National Campaign for Dalit Human Rights and the head of Navsarjan Trust, an organization in India's western state of Gujarat. Navsarjan works with Dalits, or untouchables in more than 2,000 villages, providing services ranging from legal aid to potable drinking water, to the the implementation of land reform and minimum wage legislation. The National Campaign for Dalit Human Rights has enlisted grassroots organizations in 14 Indian states and 11 countries to advocate on behalf of the 160 million Dalits. In December 1999, the campaign submitted 2.5 million signatures to India's prime minister demanding the abolition of untouchability and enforcement of national legislation. The movement -- which is likened to the movement for civil rights and racial equality in the United States in the 1960s -- is the first of its kind in size and scope for Dalits in India. More..
National Jordanian Campaign to Eliminate Crimes of Honor (Jordan) -- Consisting of 11 Jordanian men and women, the Committee has launched a campaign to abolish Article 340 of the Jordanian Penal Code, which gives lenient sentences (usually a few months or a few years) to those who kill in the name of honor. Between 25 to 30 women are killed in Jordan this way each year, for marrying someone their family does not approve of, for being raped, for suspected adultery, or for being the subject of a neighborhood rumor. These crimes are often committed by a male relative of the victim. The Committee has been gathering national and international support for the campaign, working to break down the silence that has traditionally surrounded violence against women in Jordan. Maha Abu Ayyash and Rana Husseini will be representing the National Jordanian Campaign to Eliminate Crimes of Honor. More..
Rebiya Kadeer (China) -- Rebiya Kadeer has been in prison since March 1999. She will be honored by Human Rights Watch in absentia. Ms. Kadeer is from the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region in China's northwest. In August 1999, she was arrested by the Chinese authorities on charges of leaking state secrets and providing information about dissidents to Westerners. No member of her family has seen her since. She received an 8-year prison term and her appeal was turned down last week. Rebiya's son and secretary are also in detention as a result of their connection to her. Her husband, Sidik Rouzi, imprisoned earlier for campaigning against China's treatment of Uighurs, and has commented on Uighur issues for Radio Free Asia. He will attend the dinners on Rebiya's behalf. More..
