Director of AL Mezan Center Wins the Weimar Human Rights Award 2008

Mr.
Issam Younis, the General Director of AL Mezan Center for Human Rights was awarded the 2008 Weimar International Human Rights Award.
The award was unanimously decided in the Weimar City Council meeting on Wednesday, 9 July 2008.
Mr.
Younis was nominated for the award by Mr.
Günter Nooke, the Federal Government Commissioner for Human Rights Policy and Humanitarian Aid, and MP in Germany.
The award is dedicated for active persons, organizations and groups in the field of human rights who devote themselves to promoting tolerance and human relations.
Awarding Mr.
Younis the award comes after a competition involving candidates from all over the world.
It reflects recognition of his efforts and contributions in defending human rights and promoting its principles without discrimination or bias.
As stated in the decision of granting the award, Mr.
Younis is one of the founders of the Gaza-based Al Mezan Center for Human Rights and the key person behind its success.
The decision mentions the activities of the Center in the field of protection and promotion of human rights and providing assistance to victims of abuses.
It also draws attention to the positions of Mr.
Younis as well as the Center in condemning human rights violations regardless the identity of the violators, which despite the dangers they posed, never deterred him or the organization from speaking out against human rights violations and violators.
The decision also referred to the work of Mr.
Younis and Al Mezan in providing assistance for community groups exposed to risks because of their vulnerability or the nature of their work, such as journalists and lawyers; the legal assistance provided by the Center and its contribution to spreading awareness of human rights; and defending prisoners and detainees in the Israeli and Palestinian jails.
Despite the hard conditions experienced by the Al Mezan Center under a volatile environment in the Gaza Strip, the Center continued its work defending victims and providing assistance to them.
Al Mezan Center for Human Rights expresses its pride and appreciation for granting its Director this award; the first time to be obtained by a Palestinian activist.
The Center views the award as reflecting an evolving awareness and appreciation of the suffering of Palestinians in the occupied Palestinian territories and the violations committed against them by various stakeholders.
The award honors not only Mr.
Younis, but also all Palestinian human rights activists and institutions.
The real value of the award lies within the message of solidarity with the Palestinian people and the support of their legitimate, recognized rights.
It represents an invitation to strengthen the foundations of justice, and for joining the efforts to ensure respect for, and protection of, human rights; an invitation that bears exceptional importance under the difficult conditions that Palestinians live currently.
Mr.
Younis will receive the award in a ceremony to be held in Weimar City in the Federal Republic of Germany on 10 December 2008; the day marking the International Human Rights Day.
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