The Rafto Prize, awarded in memory of Professor Thorolf Rafto, is awarded to an individual or organisation that embodies and upholds the principles of the Human Rights Charter through activism or engagement.
How to nominate?
The nomination form along with information on required documents can be found on our website. Nominations will be accepted until 1 March 2012.
Criteria
Rafto laureates are selected on the following criteria:
1) A recipient should be an active participant in the struggle for the ideals and principles underlying the Human Rights Charter, or be an embodying symbol of these.
2) A recipient may be a person or an organisation, and two or more recipients may share the prize.
Candidates nominated by themselves or by their staff or by honorary officers will not be taken into consideration.
Selection of candidates
Recipients are selected by the Rafto Prize Committee. The 2012 Rafto Prize Committee is chaired byMartin Paulsen, Post doctor, University of Bergen, Faculty of Humanities, Department of Foreign Languages.
Rafto Prize 2012 – Announcement
The 2012 Rafto Prize laureate will be announced on 27 September 2012 at 10.00 (Norwegian time) at the Rafto Human Rights House in Bergen, Norway.
Award ceremony
The Rafto Prize ceremony will be held on 4 November 2012 at the National Venue of Theatre (Den Nationale Scene) in Bergen, Norway.
25th anniversary of the Rafto Prize
The Rafto Foundation marked the 25th anniversary of the Rafto Prize in November 2011 in Bergen, Norway, by addressing the key human rights challenges for the next decade. Twelve Rafto Prize laureates attended events in connection with the anniversary: Lotus flower ceremony, a business seminar “Responsible Business in Rough Places”, Rafto symposium and the 2011 Rafto Prize award ceremony.
List of the Rafto Prize laureates, in the reverse chronological order:
2011 – Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG) represented by Frank Mugisha
2010 – José Raúl Vera López, Mexico
2009 – Malahat Nasibova, Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, Azerbaijan
2008 – Bulambo Lembelembe Josué, the Democratic Republic of Congo
2007 – National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights, India
2006 – Thich Quang Do, Vietnam
2005 – Lidia Yusupova, Chechnya
2004 – Rebiya Kadeer, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, China
2003 – Paulos Tesfagiorgis, Eritrea
2002 – Sidi Mohammed Daddach, Western Sahara
2001 – Shirin Ebadi, Iran
2000 – Kim Dae-jung, South-Korea
1999 – Gennady Grushevoy, Belarus
1998 – ECPAT, Thailand (End Child Prostitution, Child Pornography and Trafficking)
1997 – The Romani people, represented by Ian Hancock, USA
1996 – Palermo Anno Uno, Italy
1995 – Committee of Soldiers’ Mothers of Russia, Russia
1994 – Leyla Zana, Kurdistan/Turkey
1993 – The people of East Timor, represented by José Ramos-Horta, East-Timor
1992 – Preah Maha Ghosananda, Cambodia
1991 – Elena Bonner, Russia
1990 – Aung San Suu Kyi, Burma
1989 – Doina Cornea, Romania and FIDESZ represented by Péter Molnár, Hungary
1988 – Trivimi Velliste, Estonia
1987 – Jiří Hájek, former Czechoslovakia
Contact information
For questions please contact us by e-mail: rafto(at)rafto.no or phone: +47 55 21 09 30.
Related Stories
Brave fighters for human dignity at Rafto symposium in Bergen
