Statement of Frank Schwabe on 2019 Václav Havel Human Rights Prize of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE)
Statement by Frank Schwabe, Chair of the Group of Socialists, Democrats and Greens:
Ilham Tohti is a prominent Uighur intellectual from China. He has been working to improve the situation of the Uighur minority and to promote inter-ethnic dialogue with China for twenty years. In September 2014, he was sentenced to life imprisonment. The Youth Initiative for Human Rights has been working for reconciliation in the Balkans since 2003, connecting young people from different ethnic groups, regions and countries in the region with the aim of avoiding a possible resurgence of conflicts in the Balkans. Ilham Toti and the Youth Initiative for Human Rights have today been awarded the Václav Havel Human Rights Prize of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), endowed with 60,000 Euro. Buzurgmore Yorov, a human rights lawyer from Tajikistan, was also on the short list of nominees.
"With this double-awarding, the Parliamentary Assembly recognizes the commitment to human rights and reconciliation in two very different regions of the world. What Ilham Tohti and the Youth Initiative for Human Rights have in common is their tireless commitment to reconciliation and inter-ethnic dialogue. The awarding of the prize to Ilham Tohti is carries with it a clear call for his immediate release. Buzurgmore Yorov, who was sentenced to 28 years in 2015, must also be released instantly", Frank Schwabe said.
Tweet
Ilham Tohti is a prominent Uighur intellectual from China. He has been working to improve the situation of the Uighur minority and to promote inter-ethnic dialogue with China for twenty years. In September 2014, he was sentenced to life imprisonment. The Youth Initiative for Human Rights has been working for reconciliation in the Balkans since 2003, connecting young people from different ethnic groups, regions and countries in the region with the aim of avoiding a possible resurgence of conflicts in the Balkans. Ilham Toti and the Youth Initiative for Human Rights have today been awarded the Václav Havel Human Rights Prize of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), endowed with 60,000 Euro. Buzurgmore Yorov, a human rights lawyer from Tajikistan, was also on the short list of nominees.
"With this double-awarding, the Parliamentary Assembly recognizes the commitment to human rights and reconciliation in two very different regions of the world. What Ilham Tohti and the Youth Initiative for Human Rights have in common is their tireless commitment to reconciliation and inter-ethnic dialogue. The awarding of the prize to Ilham Tohti is carries with it a clear call for his immediate release. Buzurgmore Yorov, who was sentenced to 28 years in 2015, must also be released instantly", Frank Schwabe said.
