NEW YORK, United States — Syrian Kurdish activist from Kobane Nujeen Mustafa has been honored by Human Rights Watch (HRW) with the prestigious Alison Des Forges Award for her advocacy for refugees and people with disabilities. In a statement HRW said, “The winner, Nujeen Mustafa, is a leading voice for justice in her country, Syria.” The New York-based rights organization has described Mustafa as “a powerful voice for human rights, sharing the harrowing story of her journey to move hearts and change policies.” Mustafa, 19, is the recipient of the 2019 Alison Des Forges Award is for Extraordinary Activism. Born with cerebral palsy Mustafa is unable to walk and has been since in a wheelchair. She moved to Germany in 2014 and made the long journey in her wheelchair. “These extraordinary individuals confront tremendous challenges every day in their efforts to curb human rights violations and bring abusers to justice,” HRW quotes executive director Kenneth Roth as saying. “As their work inspires us, we hope this award, named for Alison Des Forges, will provide some modicum of protection for their struggle.” HRW says that Mustafa has partnered with the organization and a regional disability rights group “to provide a powerful account that has helped move policymakers in the European Union to require that delivery of humanitarian aid meets the needs of people with disabilities.” The Human Rights Watch annual award honors Dr. Alison Des Forges, a senior adviser at HRW and a leading expert on the 1994 Rwanda genocide who died in a plane crash in New York State on February 12, 2009.
