According to the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, Makkawi’s award comes in recognition of his efforts in defending human rights.
Khartoum: AlTaghyeer
The German Friedrich Ebert Foundation awarded Sudanese lawyer and human rights defender, Rifaat Makkawi, its International Prize for Human Rights for 2022.
The foundation mentioned that Makkawi and his colleagues have been fighting for human rights in Sudan for over 20 years.
Makkawi had participated in the establishment of the Al-Nas center for legal aid and still continues to run the center until this day.
The center offers support for children, women, people with disabilities, as well as the displaced.
The Friedrich Ebert Foundation revealed that Makkawi had faced great risk by working with victims of state violence during the 2018-2019 revolution, and after the October 25, 2021 military coup.
“After the revolution and the overthrow of the authoritarian Al-Bashir regime, Makkawi also participated in the establishment of the Campaign for Transitional Justice (Insaf), which tirelessly strives to achieve reconciliation for all of society, in search of a solution to violence and building trust between citizens and the state through reforms,” the foundation’s statement read.
The foundation said that under exceptional circumstances, human rights defenders take great personal risks daily, making awarding Makkawi and the facilities he founded an important turning point.
