Pakistani activist Sammi Deen Baloch has received the Front Line Defenders Award 2024 in Dublin, Ireland, for her work in raising awareness about human rights issues in Pakistan.
Front Line Defenders announced the winners of the 2024 Award for Human Rights Defenders at Risk during a ceremony in Dublin on Friday.
“I am honored that my efforts are recognized globally. Fighting for human rights in Pakistan is tough but essential,” Baloch told Geo News from Dublin, promising to continue her work.
The Front Line Defenders Award, established in 2005, honors human rights defenders who make significant contributions to promoting and protecting others’ human rights, often facing great personal risks.
This award brings international attention to the efforts of these defenders, giving them a broader platform to advocate for human rights.
Candidates for the award are nominated through a secure, public process at the end of each year, and winners are announced during the award ceremony in May.
Baloch, from Awaran in Balochistan and the General Secretary of the Voice for Baloch Missing Persons (VBMP), was selected from Asia and the Pacific.
The other award winners are:
- Africa: Gamito dos Santos Carlos of AJOPAZ, the Youth Association for Peace (Mozambique)
- Americas: The Trans women collective Muñecas de Arcoíris (Honduras), represented by Jennifer Bexara Córdova
- Europe and Central Asia: Doros Polykarpou of KISA (Cyprus)
- Middle East and North Africa: We Are Not Numbers (Gaza, Palestine), represented by Ahmed Alnaouq
In a post on X, Baloch dedicated the award to Baloch women, expressing deep respect for their ongoing struggle. She also shared the award with human rights activists worldwide who fight for dignity, truth, and justice.
Baloch vowed to continue fighting for the release of all missing persons, including her father, and to demand justice for the victims and their families, maintaining her peaceful struggle against enforced disappearances.
