A seven-member jury led by the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe Theodoros Rousopoulos announced in the premises of the Václav Havel Library the three finalists for the international Václav Havel Prize for Human Rights for 2024, which is awarded by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in cooperation with the Václav Havel Library and the Charter 77 Foundation.
Akif Gurbanov, Azerbaijan – is a human rights defender, political activist and active member of Azerbaijani civil society. He is the co-founder and chairman of the Institute of Democratic Initiative and the Third Republic Platform. He was arrested in March 2024 in a wave of arrests targeting journalists and activists in the country.
María Corina Machado, Venezuela – is a leading political figure in Venezuela. He draws attention to human rights violations in his country and deals with the defense of democracy and the rule of law. She is the co-founder of the Venezuelan volunteer civic organization Súmate for civil and political freedom, rights and citizen participation.
Babutsa Pataraia, Georgia – is a feminist activist and human rights lawyer in Georgia. Since 2013, she has been the director of the non-governmental organization Sapari, which focuses on women’s rights and provides support to victims of violence. For more than ten years, she has been dedicated to the fight against sexual violence against women and sexual harassment.
“The candidates selected by the jury for the final three come from different parts of the world, from different backgrounds, and their stories highlight different social and political issues. All are united by a commitment to the fight for human rights, democracy, and freedom in their countries. The stories of Akif Gurbanov, María Corina Machado, and Babutsi Patarai give concrete human contours to the struggle for freedom and democracy, which are comprehensible to all of us and in many ways resemble the dissident legacy of Václav Havel. I thank the jury for the careful selection of these three finalists,” said Milan Babík, director of the Václav Havel Library, shortly after the names of the finalists were announced.
“Every year, the Václav Havel Prize is an urgent reminder that freedom and respect for human rights are not a matter of course, but that we should take care of them and loudly point out that we cannot be indifferent not only to what is happening here but also beyond our borders. The Charter 77 Foundation has been carrying this legacy for almost half a century, not only by awarding prizes but every day when we consistently try to remove barriers in society,” says Jolana Voldánová, director of the Charter 77 Foundation.
PRIZE WINNER ANNOUNCEMENT
The ceremonial announcement of the 2024 Prize laureate and its presentation will take place during the autumn session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the RE in Strasbourg, which will take place on September 30, 2024.
CONFERENCE IN HONOR OF THE LAUREATE
The Václav Havel Library will hold an international conference in honor of the laureate in Prague on Wednesday, October 2, 2024 at the Prague Crossroads. You can register for the conference for free HERE. If you would like to participate in the conference as a journalist or if you are interested in an interview with one of the guests, please contact me by email or by phone.
VÁCLAV HAVLA PRIZE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS
The Václav Havel Prize for Human Rights highlights an extraordinary achievement in the field of human rights protection in Europe and beyond. The prize is awarded annually by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in partnership with the Václav Havel Library and the Charter 77 Foundation and is associated with a reward of 60,000 euros.
LAUREATES OF THE VÁCLAVA HAVLA AWARD FOR HUMAN RIGHTS
2023 Osman Kavala (Turkey)
2022 Vladimir Kara-Murza (Russia)
2021 Maryja Kalesnikavová (Belarus)
2020 Loujain Al-Hathloul (Saudi Arabia)
2019 Ilham Tohti (China) together with Youth Initiative for Human Rights (Western Balkan countries)
2018 Oyub Titiev (Russia)
2017 Murat Arslan (Turkey)
2016 Nadia Murad (Iraq)
2015 Lyudmila Alexeeva (Russia)
2014 Anar Mammadli (Azerbaijan)
2013 Aleš Byaljacky (Belarus)
Václav Havel Library / www.vaclavhavel.cz