18 November 2005 International Helsinki Federation (IHF) during its annual meeting of all members distinguished Yevgeniy Zhovtis the 2005 IHF Recognition Award. In previous years Yuri Schmidt, Catherine Fitzpatrick, Talib Yakubov, the Human rights group Memorial (Nazran) and the Society of Russian-Chechen Friendship received the award.

Yevgeniy A. Zhovtis is a Head of the Kazakhstan International Bureau for Human Rights and Rule of Law, which he founded in 1993. The IHF’s citation for Yevgeniy A. Zhovits states: “His combination of commitment to human rights principles, sharp analytical capacity and practical sense of how to engage in the process of democratic reform has and will continue to move Kazakhstan forward…. He has helped the international community understand that without committed engagement in Kazakhstan and throughout Central Asia, the integrity of the entire community of Helsinki-signatory states is at stake”.

The International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights gathers Helsinki Committees and other non-governmental organizations that act to protect human rights throughout Europe, North America and Central Asia. Its main goal is to monitor compliance with the human rights provisions of the Helsinki Final Act and its Follow-up Documents.