Directors of the Ilham Tohti Initiative will receive Liberal International’s Prize for Freedom in recognition of the imprisoned Uyghur’s campaign of conciliation between Han Chinese and Muslim Uyghurs in China’s Xinjiang province, at a special ceremony to take place in The Hague, The Netherlands on 30th November.
The international human rights award is given to a well-known personality of liberal conviction who has made outstanding efforts for the defence of freedom and human rights. The citation recommending Professor Tohti, endorsed by the 70th-anniversary congress of Liberal International in Andorra in May 2017, emphasises his campaign “for promoting conciliation between Uyghurs and Han Chinese.”
Ilham Tohti’s daughter, Jewher Ilham, will share a video message with dignitaries gathered for the ceremony. In her message, Ms Ilham will say that the award offers encouragement for human rights defenders in China amid increasing pressure on activists.
The awarding of the Prize for Freedom forms part of a programme in which Liberal parliamentarians and human rights experts of 16 countries will assemble in The Hague for Liberal International’s meeting on global justice and the rule of law.
The Prize for Freedom is Liberal International’s oldest awards, having been presented annually to courageous human rights champions since 1985. Professor Ilham will be the first-ever recipient of the LI Prize from mainland China.
Photo: By Voice of America – Public Domain
