The Students Peace Prize (Students Fredspris) has the objective of rewarding the work of remarkable students around the world in their fight for human rights and especially those of the students around the world. This year, the laureate is Elkouria "Rabab" Amidane for her work defending the rights of the West Sahawarians, whose land is ocuppated by Morocco. Not only have the Morocans occupated them but they also are repressing their rights and freedom of speech, and constantly discriminationg and beating them to the point that a lot of Sahawarians have been badly injured or even killed. Rabab herself has been tortured and imprisoned for defending her rights and so have been members of her family and friends. But Rabab has not given up the peaceful fight for what's legitamate to her and her people.
Other previous winners of this prize are ACEU (Asociación Colombiana de Estudiantes Universitarios), who defend the rights of the Colombian students, who are currently under threat of the government of their country, leaded by president Uribe. A lot of students in Colombia have received death threats and some of them have even been murdered by the government, and ACEU has been fighting for their freedom of speech ina peaceful way, making them winners of the prize in 2005.
Former winners are also Antero Benedito da Silva for defending human rights in Timor (invaded by the Indonesians), ZINASU an organization defending human rights in Zimbabwe, Charm Tong and Min Ko Naing for supporting human rights in Burma (officially the Myanmar Republic). To all those spectacular and amazing people - who have suffered the unimaginable - there was a ceremony yesterday night in order to honor them.
This is Rabab, this year's laureate
Charm Tong (to the right) from Burma
This picture is truly an honour for me to post. This is me with the Nobel Peace Price winner, Betty Williams, who won the price in 1976 for defeding peace in Northern Irland.
My friend Thea and me at the ceremony. Thea is such a sweet and kind girl from Vinstra (near Lillehammer - Norway) who has the sweetest Canarian accent in her Spanish!
Other previous winners of this prize are ACEU (Asociación Colombiana de Estudiantes Universitarios), who defend the rights of the Colombian students, who are currently under threat of the government of their country, leaded by president Uribe. A lot of students in Colombia have received death threats and some of them have even been murdered by the government, and ACEU has been fighting for their freedom of speech ina peaceful way, making them winners of the prize in 2005.
Former winners are also Antero Benedito da Silva for defending human rights in Timor (invaded by the Indonesians), ZINASU an organization defending human rights in Zimbabwe, Charm Tong and Min Ko Naing for supporting human rights in Burma (officially the Myanmar Republic). To all those spectacular and amazing people - who have suffered the unimaginable - there was a ceremony yesterday night in order to honor them.
This is Rabab, this year's laureate The representant of ZINASU - from Zimbabwe
Charm Tong (to the right) from BurmaThis is Guillermo Baquero Serrano - representant of the ACEU in Colombia - winner in 2005. I am volunteering as his translator because the event is in English and he just speaks Spanish.
This picture is truly an honour for me to post. This is me with the Nobel Peace Price winner, Betty Williams, who won the price in 1976 for defeding peace in Northern Irland.
My friend Thea and me at the ceremony. Thea is such a sweet and kind girl from Vinstra (near Lillehammer - Norway) who has the sweetest Canarian accent in her Spanish! And well, what else can I say but the fact that it is an honour to be able to participate in such an event, with so many extraodinary people that I get to talk to daily during these four days and get to hear their amazing stories about the struggle for peace in their countries. I couldn't ask for more!
