Jailed Chinese lawyer receives prestigious human rights award
The Geneva-based Martin Ennals Foundation announced Yu Wensheng as the winner of its annual global prize for human rights defenders in an online ceremony on Thursday evening.
This content was published on
2 minutes
swissinfo.ch/gw
Yu, 54, was put behind bars in 2018 after spending ten years working on several high-profile human rights cases. His best-known client was fellow lawyer Wang Quanzhang, who was arrested during a major crackdown on human rights activists in 2015.
In addition to his defense work, Yu advocated for constitutional and judicial changes in China, including the introduction of a multi-party system and ending the death penalty.
In December 2020 a Chinese regional high court upheld his four-year prison sentence. Since then, his whereabouts have been unknown, according to his wife, who accepted the award on his behalf and recorded her thanks in a video broadcast during the ceremony.
“The award is not only an honour for Yu Wensheng, but also an encouragement to all Chinese human rights lawyers and human rights defenders who persist and work hard despite difficult circumstances,” said Xu Yan, who herself is under state surveillance but continues to campaign for her husband’s release.
The other 2021 finalists were Loujain AlHathloul, a women’s rights campaigner in Saudi Arabia who was released from prison this week, and photojournalist Soltan Achilova, who documents human rights abuses in Turkmenistan.
The prize provides protection and support for activists who are at risk. The winner is selected by a jury made up of ten prominent NGOs, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. It is named after Martin Ennals, a British human rights activist who was also Amnesty’s first secretary-general.
The award is supported by, among others, the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs and the City of Geneva.
University students in Switzerland join Gaza protest wave
This content was published on
Pro-Palestinian activists occupied university buildings in Lausanne, Geneva and Zurich on Tuesday, widening the protest movement in the Alpine nation.
TradeXBank to resume full operations after Sberbank Switzerland taken off sanctions list
This content was published on
TradeXBank, the former Swiss branch of Russia’s Sberbank, will be able to resume its dollar-denominated activities from the second half of this year.
Geneva decides not to remove controversial memorials
This content was published on
The city of Geneva has presented an action plan regarding a series of controversial local statues and monuments of historical figures linked to racism, colonialism or slavery.
University of Lausanne calls for end to pro-Palestine sit-in
This content was published on
The pro-Palestinian occupation continues at the University of Lausanne (UNIL). On Monday evening, a group of students refused to agree to the deadline set by the rectorate.
Ukraine peace conference should include Russia, says Chinese ambassador
This content was published on
China supports a peace conference on the Ukraine war that would see equal participation of all parties, says Chinese Ambassador to Russia Zhang Hanhui.
This content was published on
A majority of Swiss citizens have open attitudes towards various infertility treatments, including even egg donation, which is currently prohibited.
Reports of Swiss cyber fraud almost doubled in six months
This content was published on
The head of the new Federal Office for Cybersecurity (FOC), Florian Schütz, has presented a new strategy after just over four months in office.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Sudanese refugee awarded human rights prize in Geneva
This content was published on
Sudanese refugee activist Abdul Aziz Muhamat has been awarded the 2019 Martin Ennals prize in Geneva for his courage and commitment to refugee rights.
This content was published on
Amid the distress caused by the pandemic and other global challenges, people look to human rights as a driver for hope, says Fabrizio Hochschild.
Europe’s first business and human rights centre opens in Geneva
This content was published on
The University of Geneva has become the host for the first centre dedicated to human rights at a business school in Europe.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.