Andreas Harsono Wins 2010 John Rumbiak Human Rights Defenders Award

The West Papua Advocacy Team's John Rumbiak Human Rights Defenders Award for 2010 is presented to journalist and human rights advocate Andreas Harsono. The first Indonesian to win the award, Harsono is an internationally respected journalist who has earned recognition for his reporting related to human rights and justice issues, including seminal pieces on j West Papua. His reporting on human rights themes in West Papua in particular has advanced the cause of human rights by helping to lift the government-imposed veil of secrecy that obscures ongoing human rights abuse there. His authoritative work related to West Papua has inspired journalists and human rights advocates and informed policy makers in Indonesia and around the world.

The West Papua Advocacy Team created the John Rumbiak Human Rights Defenders Award in 2008. The award is given annually to the individual or institution that has contributed most substantially to protection of human rights in West Papua. The award honors John Rumbiak, a Papuan who, until suffering a debilitating stroke in 2005, was a leading voice in the defense of Papuan human rights. He founded the
West Papua Advocacy Team. His courageous devotion to the cause of human rights defense, the nonviolent assertion of political rights and demands for justice, including accountability for human rights violators, has inspired not only Papuans but individuals and organizations widely in the international community. The award includes a $500 stipend and a plaque which honors the winner. Past winners of the award include TAPOL's Carmel Budiardjo in 2008 and the East Timor and Indonesia Action Network (ETAN) and its National Coordinator John M. Miller in 2009.

Source: http://www.nieman.harvard.edu/NiemanFoundation.aspx

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