A lawyer who exposed a network of secret prisons in war-ravaged Yemen, where thousands of men and boys were arbitrarily held and tortured, on Wednesday received the world’s most prestigious human rights prize. Huda Al-Sarari, 42, was hailed by the Martin Ennals Award jury for showing “rare courage” to investigate, expose and challenge a network of secret prisons established by foreign governments in Yemen since 2015. Al-Sarari received the award, which is often referred to as the Nobel Prize for human rights, for her work exposing “the enforced disappearances that occurred as a result of secret prisons run by foreign governments in Yemen,” the award organisers said in a statement. “Being a human rights defender in Yemen is extremely challenging, and being a woman makes this even more difficult,” she said in the statement. Sizani Ngubane, a 73-year-old activist, was meanwhile recognised for her work for women’s and indigenous people’s rights in South Africa.

Source: Punch February 19, 2020 19:07 UTC