January 19, 2022: Pham Doan Trang has been named as one of the three laureates of the 2022 Martin Ennals Award today in Geneva, Switzerland. This year, the Martin Ennals Award recognized three laureates, Pham Doan Trang, Dr. Daouda Diallo (Burkina Faso), and Abdul-Hadi Al-Khawaja (Bahrain), celebrating three galvanizers of the human rights movement.
The Martin Ennals Foundation states that “Pham Doan Trang is a leading journalist, editor and democracy advocate in Vietnam, where the Communist Party has left little room for opposition voices to flourish. She directed several independent media outlets to raise awareness amongst Vietnam’s citizens of their fundamental rights galvanising many other journalists and human rights defenders to speak up. She was one of the most hunted activists in her country before being arrested in October 2020. On 14 December 2021, Pham Doan Trang was sentenced to nine years in prison for ‘conducting propaganda against the state’. There are growing concerns about her health.”
Speaking from Taipei, Taiwan, one of Pham Doan Trang’s closest colleagues and friends, Trinh Huu Long, spoke on her behalf:
“The Martin Ennals Award that she receives today is a strong and clear message to the Vietnamese authoritarian government, and more importantly, to the Vietnamese people, that what she’s been doing is right, and the international community is standing by her. It’s true that we are witnessing democracy retreat around the world. We are also witnessing major setbacks in human rights developments in Vietnam, making 2021 probably the worst year since 2000. But people like Abdul-Hadi Al-Khawaj, Dr. Daouda Diallo, and Doan Trang represent hope for a better future. And there is hope for a democratic future for Vietnam.”
Held in the heart of Geneva, Switzerland, the Martin Ennals Award Ceremony gathers every year both local and international audiences for a unique celebration of human rights defenders. In 2022, the organizers chose to postpone the Ceremony until June 2, 2022 instead of virtualizing it: “The latest outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic does not allow for us to welcome the Laureates and the public in optimal conditions. Instead, we will adapt our training and advocacy activities so we can continue to support the Laureates throughout the winter”, explained Isabel de Sola, Director of the Martin Ennals Foundation.
