Egyptian blogger and human rights activist Nora Younis was awarded the Annual Human Rights Award today.
Human Rights First hosted its annual dinner and 30th anniversary celebration honoring those at the forefront of the struggle to defend human rights, featuring actress Sigourney Weaver, who will serve as the master of ceremonies, Caroline Kennedy, who will accept an award on behalf of her uncle, Senator Ted Kennedy, and singer Mary Chapin Carpenter, who will perform.
Fustat reports:
She shares the prize with Oleg Kozlovsky, a young democracy activist in Russia – a country that slides further from the straight path of democracy for each day it seems. Senator Ted Kennedy is also awarded for his long and distinguished career as a human rights defender. Human Rights First have been very supportive of human rights in Egypt, during the last years and Campaigned for Saad Eddin Ibrahim, who won the same award in 2002, Alaa and Kareem among others, and I would like to extend my greetings and humble thanks for your support on this happy occasion.
Fustat proudly shares Human Rights First's description of the female blogger saying:
This is how they describe Nora: … When Egyptian soldiers used water cannons and nightsticks to brutally evict Sudanese refugees from a public square in Cairo, Nora Younis was there, taking notes and shooting photos. Her blog of the incident drew international attention to the Egyptian government's abuses against these vulnerable refugees. Nora continues to raise awareness about rampant human rights abuses in Egypt through her compelling blog posts.
