(Photo Public Domain)
The founder of No to Military Trials for Civilians movement Mona Seif has been shortlisted as a finalist for the 2013 Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders.
Seif reached the final shortlist along with Mario Joseph of Haiti and Joint Mobile Group of Chechnya. According to the award’s website: “The award is given to human rights defenders who have shown deep commitment and face great personal risk. The aim of the award is to provide protection through international recognition.”
Seif is known for her opposition to Mubarak’s regime and to the SCAF leadership of Egypt during the transitional period. She was detained in December 2011, following a protest at the cabinet building, but was released at the same day. Seif founded the No to Military Trials for Civilians movement which aims to end military trials for Egyptian civilians.
Seif’s father is a human rights lawyer who was imprisoned under Mubarak’s regime, while her brother Alaa Abdel Fattah is known for his political activism and positions and was imprisoned under the Mubarak regime and during the time of SCAF leadership of the country.
The jury responsible for selecting the award winner consists of representatives from ten leading human rights NGOs, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch.
The award will be presented in Geneva on 8 October, in a ceremony hosted by the city of Geneva.
