PRESS RELEASE

Human Rights House Foundation (HRH) congratulates Wangari Maathai as winner of the Nobel Peace Prize for 2004.

-Tremendous inspiration
-The award is a tremendous inspiration for the huge, but largely over-looked efforts of non-governmental organizations world-wide, not only for the environment and sustainable development, but also for peace and human rights, says Niels Jacob Harbitz, HRH’s Project Manager for East Africa.

Support civil society
 HRH met Maathai when she received the Sofie Prize in Oslo in June. In HRH’s speech to Maathai, Harbitz emphasized the importance of continuing to support to the non-governmental organizations’ on-going struggle for peace and deemocracy, human rights and sustainable development in Kenya.

First Kenyan Woman
As the first Kenyan woman to obtain a PhD, Wangari Maathai is a role model for women not only in Africa, but throughout the world. Considering that she is turning her education into action that is improving the lives of large numbers of poor Kenyans, she also shows how higher education can be used for the betterment of all.

Leading example
Under the almost 25 years long reign of former president Daniel arap Moi, Wangari Maathai was arrested and beaten by Kenyan police on several occasions. Her commitment has made her a leading example of the potential power of a strong civil society, not only under non-democratic rule, but also through the transition to democracy and for the maintenance of this.

Kenyans to Oslo conference
Next week, two key Kenyan human rights defenders from the organization Centre for Law and Research International (CLARION) will be coming to Oslo to attend HRH’s 10 years’ anniversary conference ‘Activists under Attack. Defending the Right to be a Human Rights Defender,’ 13 and 14 October.

Human Rights House in Nairobi
Morris Odhiambo and Martin O Oluoch both play key roles in the wider effort to establish a Human Rights House in Nairobi. Such a house will secure safe, permanent working conditions for up to ten independent human rights organizations and thus serve as a further enhancement of these organizations’ efforts to prevent and protest against human rights violations all across Kenya.

Interviews
Both Odhiambo and Oluoch are available for interviews from Tuesday 12 October 23.00 and until Sunday 17 October 14.00.

Please contact Niels Jacob Harbitz
Human Rights House Foundation
niels.jacob@humanrightshouse.org
Tel: + 47 22 47 92 45 / + 47 915 26 584