Human Rights Awards to North Caucasus
On Decembre 10, in the International Human Rights Day, Maksharip Aushev and a Chechen NGO was awarded by U.S. and France for two various prize.
According to the press release of French National Consultative Commission on Human Rights, today five NGOs received the French ‘Liberty-Equality-Brotherhood’ Human Rights Award in 2009. These NGOs were “Let’s Save the Generation” from Chechnya; Citizens Against Corruption from Kyrgyzstan; Palestinian NGO Network (PNGO); the Centre for Legal and Social Studies (CELS) from Argentina; and Children’s Voice from Nepal. The prestigious French award’s ceremony was in Paris in which the French minister of foreign affairs Bernard Kouchner handed over the awards.
The leader of “Let’s Save the Generation”, Zarema Sadulayeva, and her husband Alik Dzhabrailov, were abducted and killed by unknown assailants in this August. Their organization is specialized in the support and care for children victims of mines and unexploded ordnance. The award came after the brutal murder of its leaders. But the organization is going on its activities.
“Let’s Save the Generation” was awarded with their project about children victims in Chechnya. In the press release, there was attract attention that Zarema Sadulayeva was fighting for children victims of the violence in Chechnya and she has paid it with her life.
The other award was came from Hillary Clinton. U.S. Department of State presents awards in every year for extraordinary actions in support of universal human rights principles. And in commemoration of International Human Rights Day, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton honored two exceptional human rights champions: Maksharip Aushev, murdered human rights defender, and Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch of U.S. Embassy Yerevan.
“The 2009 recipient of the Human Rights Defenders Award is Maksharip Aushev of Russia (awarded posthumously). This award is given to individuals or non-governmental organizations who show exceptional valor and leadership in advocating the protection of human rights and democracy in the face of government repression. In an increasingly deadly environment for journalists and other human rights defenders, activist and independent Web site editor Maksharip Aushev bravely continued to train a spotlight on abductions, torture, killings and other serious human rights abuses in Russia’s North Caucasus, even after one of the web site’s previous owners was killed in police custody in 2008. On October 25, 2009, unknown assailants fired more than 60 bullets into his car, killing him. Mr. Aushev was 43 years old” said Hillary Clinto in her statement.