2025 Martin Ennals Award Honors Human Rights Defenders Fighting Racism and Corruption

The 2025 Martin Ennals Award has named three outstanding human rights defenders, Ana Paula Gomes de Oliveira (Brazil), Aloikin Praise Opoloje (Uganda), and Saadia Mosbah (Tunisia), for their leadership in justice initiatives against racism and corruption. The award ceremony will be held in Geneva on 26 November 2025, where the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (Volker Türk) will present the prize. This global recognition by leading rights organizations points to the urgent need for justice and accountability in societies worldwide.

Laureate and Finalists

The Martin Ennals Award 2025 recognizes three human rights defenders who have spearheaded justice initiatives in Brazil, Uganda, and Tunisia against racism and corruption. The selected laureate is Ana Paula Gomes de Oliveira from Brazil, who co-founded the Mothers of Manguinhos collective after her 19-year-old son was killed by police. The two finalists are Aloikin Praise Opoloje (Uganda) and Saadia Mosbah (Tunisia), both prominent voices against corruption and racial discrimination in their countries.

Brazil – Ana Paula Gomes de Oliveira

Ana Paula Oliveira turned personal tragedy into advocacy. In May 2014, her son Johnatha, a 19-year-old Black man, was fatally shot in the back by a military police officer in Rio’s Manguinhos favela. She co-founded Mothers of Manguinhos as a support network and advocacy group for women who have lost relatives to police violence. This collective, made up mostly of poor Black women, demands truth, memory, and justice and highlights systemic racism in law enforcement. UN data show that police killings in Brazil have more than doubled in the past ten years (now exceeding 6,000 per year) and that Black Brazilians make up 82.7% of those killed by police.

Uganda – Aloikin Praise Opoloje

Aloikin Praise Opoloje is a 26-year-old Ugandan student who has become a leading voice against corruption and social injustice. She has mobilized thousands of young people through social media and organized major peaceful protests demanding accountability. She helped lead the “March to Parliament” and even staged a bold “Nude Protest” to highlight government mismanagement of the Kiteezi landfill tragedy. Despite facing repeated arrests and legal charges in 2024, Aloikin went on to create the WeThePeople movement to educate young Ugandans about civic rights and non-violent resistance.

Tunisia – Saadia Mosbah

Saadia Mosbah is a prominent Tunisian human rights activist and co-founder of Mnemty (“My Dream”), the main NGO dedicated to fighting racism and discrimination in Tunisia. She has spearheaded initiatives that led to a 2016 national debate on systemic racism, the passage of Tunisia’s Anti-Racism Law No. 50 in 2018, and the establishment of 23 January as the National Day for the Abolition of Slavery. Mosbah’s work also champions the rights of migrants and refugees, a cause that has made her a target of a smear campaign. In May 2024 Mosbah was arrested on false financial charges and remains detained without trial.

The Martin Ennals Award and its Impact

The Martin Ennals Award was created in 1994 to recognize and protect human rights defenders at risk. Since then, a jury composed of ten leading NGOs (including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and the International Commission of Jurists) has honored 57 defenders from 40 countries. Laureates have come from all walks of life, lawyers, journalists, doctors, teachers, community activists and students, and have highlighted critical issues ranging from state violence and press freedom to gender equality and the rights of indigenous communities and migrants. Each year the award culminates in a public ceremony co-hosted with the City of Geneva. The 2025 ceremony on 26 November will take place at the Salle communale de Plainpalais in Geneva and will be livestreamed for global audiences. These events draw human rights supporters worldwide and give laureates a platform to reach international media. As one jury member has noted, celebrating these defenders amplifies their voices and is “the beating heart of multilateralism” in the quest for justice.

Making Peace a Priority

These activists' struggles demonstrate the interconnectedness of injustice and conflict, underscoring the need for peace to be a global priority. The 2025 Global Peace Index shows that violence is on the rise: in 2023, there were 59 active state-based conflicts around the world, the most since World War II. War fatalities have soared, and fewer conflicts are ending peacefully. Only about 4% of wars now conclude with a negotiated settlement, down from 23% in the 1970s. This bleak data underscores the urgency of our collective action for peace.

We urge readers to support initiatives that resolve disputes without violence and to make peace our common priority. By raising awareness and using our collective voice, we can honor the spirit of these defenders and contribute to a safer, fairer world.

How to Support Peace and Justice

• Spread awareness: Share stories of these defenders and their causes on social media or in your community to inspire others. Knowledge of their struggles builds global solidarity.
• Vote for peace: Participate in our campaigns at Pledge4Peace.org/campaigns that prioritize diplomatic solutions. For example, the Global Peace Index highlights that only 4% of conflicts today end through negotiation, so casting a “vote” for peace can help advocate for more negotiations and conflict resolution.
• Engage with NGOs: Support organizations working on justice, anti-corruption, and anti-racism initiatives. Even small actions like signing petitions or donating to reputable groups can advance accountability in public institutions.
• Stay informed and involved: Attend (online or in person) events such as the Martin Ennals Award ceremony, and follow human rights calendars or peacebuilding initiatives. Your participation sends a message that the world is watching and cares.

By making peace a priority in our communities and choosing non-violent solutions, each of us can play a part in ending conflicts and upholding the values these awardees represent.