GENEVA — A prominent Egyptian lawyer and activist was awarded a Swiss-based foundation’s prestigious human rights award on Tuesday, drawing international attention to the Egyptian government’s crackdown on civil rights groups.
The award — the annual prize of the Martin Ennals Foundation — was given to Mohamed Zaree, the Egypt country director of the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies, for his contribution to promoting human rights amid the government’s escalating harassment and intimidation of activists.
Sometimes referred to as the Nobel of human rights prizes, the award recognizes those who “have shown deep commitment to human rights and face great personal risk.”
A jury drawn from 10 international organizations selected Mr. Zaree from a shortlist of three candidates, citing his work leading a forum of independent Egyptian human rights organizations as well as for the Cairo Institute.
Read the full article here.