Bangladesh's Nur Khan honoured with Global Human Rights Defender Awards

The Ain o Salish Kendra executive director was honoured for his 'leadership and courage while promoting and defending human rights'

Mohammad Nur Khan, a human rights activist, has received the Global Human Rights Defender Award.

The US Department of State honoured ten individuals from around the globe who have demonstrated leadership and courage while promoting and defending human rights, it said in a statement on Feb 1.

Over the past three decades, Khan, executive director of the Ain o Salish Kendra, led two of Bangladesh’s best-known domestic rights organizations and partnered with international organizations to document human rights abuses and promote accountability in Bangladesh, the statement reads.

“His timely interventions, advocacy on behalf of families of victims of enforced disappearances, and leadership amongst the country’s active civil society networks, have saved lives and cleared innocent victims of politically motivated charges.”

On the occasion of celebrating both the 75th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the 25th Anniversary of the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, the state department honoured a cohort of awardees – ten individuals from around the globe who have demonstrated leadership and courage while promoting and defending human rights and fundamental freedoms; countering and exposing human rights abuses by governments and businesses, it said.

Besides Nur Khan, eminent personalities in Brazil, Cambodia, Georgia, Honduras, Iran, Iraq, Mauritania, China and Togo were honoured with the Global Human Rights Defender Award.