Winners of the Belarusian Human Rights Community Award 2024 Announced on International Human Rights Day in Vilnius
On International Human Rights Day, December 10, the winners of the Belarusian Human Rights Community Award 2024 were announced in Vilnius. Established in 2008 by the "Human Rights Alliance," the award has been presented outside Belarus for the fourth consecutive year, and its popularity continues to grow. This year, four categories saw a record number of nominations for individuals and initiatives.
"Human Rights Defender of the Year 2024"
The shortlist included:
Nasta Bazar – A feminist activist, member of the Coordination Council's feminist group, lecturer, and initiator of the #ХопіцьГвалціць (StopRaping) hashtag.
Pavel Levinau – A renowned human rights defender from Vitebsk. A member of the Belarusian Helsinki Committee since 2000, he is an anti-death penalty activist and has helped submit over 160 individual complaints to the UN Human Rights Committee.
Tatsiana Nyadbay – An activist, poet, and translator. From 2017 to 2019, she led the Belarusian PEN Centre. After it was dissolved by Belarusian authorities, she took charge of a Poland-registered literary and human rights organization, Belarusian PEN.
Last year’s laureate, human rights lawyer Natalia Matskevich (she defended political prisoners such as Marfa Rabkova, Siarhei Tsikhanouski, Viktar Babaryka, and Mikola Dziadok) announced the winner. The award went to Nasta Bazar.
"Journalist of the Year 2024"
The nominees were:
Anastasiya Boyka – Editor-in-chief of Mediazona Belarus, covering current events and human rights issues, including state repression in Belarus.
Diana Pinchuk – Journalist and activist with the Human Rights Centre "Viasna." Forced to leave Belarus in spring 2021 due to persecution of Viasna members, she contributes to the organization’s website with journalistic and activist projects.
Fyodor Pavlyuchenko – Media manager and editor-in-chief of Reform.by.
Unexpectedly, two winners were named in this category: Fyodor Pavlyuchenko and Diana Pinchuk, who was unable to attend the event.
"Human Rights Campaign/Initiative of 2024"
The nominees were:
BYSOL Solidarity Foundation – The fund supporting individuals affected for their civic stance in defence of human rights in Belarus, providing both practical and consultative assistance to victims of repression.
"Politvyazynka" Initiative – A project dedicated to Belarusian women political prisoners.
Belarusian Solidarity Center – A human rights initiative working with Polish authorities and courts to defend the rights of Belarusian citizens in Poland.
The award in this category went to the BYSOL Solidarity Foundation.
"Human Rights Solidarity of 2024"
The nominees were:
Volha Brytsikava – Political prisoner and leader of the independent "Naftan" trade union. Sentenced to three years of imprisonment on April 8, 2024, with an additional three years added in August under new charges.
Maksim Znak – Attorney, former member of the Coordination Council Presidium for resolving the political crisis, member of Viktar Babaryka’s election campaign team, and political prisoner. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison on September 6, 2021.
Ihar Ilyash – Independent journalist, arrested on October 22 for allegedly giving an interview to a resource designated as an "extremist organization" in Belarus. Ilyash remained in Belarus despite the imprisonment of his wife, journalist Katsyaryna Bakhvalova, and has been recognized as a political prisoner.
The award in this category was given to Ihar Ilyash.