New York, NY (BBN)- A Congolese doctor who treats female victims of sexual violence, a nun who advocated for indigenous rights before her murder in Brazil three years ago and the slain Pakistani leader Benazir Bhutto are among seven recipients of a prestigious United Nations prize awarded for outstanding work in human rights.
The UN Prize in the Field of Human Rights, awarded by the General Assembly every five years, will be presented this year at a ceremony in New York on 10 December to mark the 60th anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).
This year’s winners, announced on Wednesday, include Louise Arbour, former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights; Ramsey Clark, ex-Attorney-General of the United States; Carolyn Gomes, Executive Director and co-founder of Jamaicans for Justice; Denis Mukwege, co-founder of the General Referral Hospital of Panzi in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC); and Human Rights Watch, according to a UN press statement.
Ms. Bhutto, the former Pakistani prime minister, and Dorothy Stang of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur are also being posthumously honoured.
An ardent advocate for democracy and for the human rights of the most vulnerable sections of society, particularly women, children and minority rights, Ms. Bhutto was twice elected prime minister of Pakistan. After returning to Pakistan late last year following years in exile, Ms. Bhutto was assassinated in an attack in Rawalpindi.
The prize was first awarded on 10 December 1968 on the 20th anniversary of the adoption of the UDHR and previous recipients have included Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King, Eleanor Roosevelt, Jimmy Carter and Amnesty International.
BBN/SI/SS/AD-27November08-11:31 AM (BST)
