Afro-Brazilian activist wins Martin Ennals Award
Keystone-SDA
Ana Paula Gomes de Oliveira, a Brazilian activist against police violence, is this year’s winner of the Martin Ennals Award in Geneva. She will receive her award on November 26, the Foundation that oversees this Nobel Prize for Human Rights said on Monday.
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De Oliveira co-founded the “Mothers of Manguinhos” collective after her 19-year-old son was murdered in a favela on his way home from his girlfriend’s house, shot in the back by a military policeman. She “gave so much, after having lost so much”, said jury president Hans Thoolen.
He added that “the racist violence rampant on the streets of Brazil deserves the full attention of the federal government and the international community”. The UN regularly condemns the police’s approach to drug traffickers, which often results in dozens of deaths.
In addition to de Oliveira, a Ugandan student fighting corruption was a finalist for this year’s prize, often called the “Nobel Prize for human rights” because it specifically recognises courageous human rights defenders. As was a Tunisian human rights activist who is still being arbitrarily detained.
Translated from French by DeepL/ts
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