Ales Bialiatski (Belarus), the Georgian Young Lawyers' Association (Georgia) and the Rights Defence Network (China), are the three candidates shortlisted in Prague today for the Václav Havel Human Rights Prize. The selection panel, comprising six independent figures and chaired by Jean-Claude Mignon, President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), drew up its shortlist on the basis of 27 candidatures which fulfilled the criteria for the Prize.

"A reaction is needed when human rights are under threat, and this is what we do. But it is also necessary to encourage and place the spotlight on those who commit themselves to human rights, and this is something we perhaps do a little less. This is what the Prize does," said Jean-Claude Mignon when he announced the outcome of the voting.

The jury first made a shortlist of six candidates out of the 27 received as follows (in alphabetical order):

Lyudmila Alexeyeva (Russian Federation)
Ales Bialiatski (Belarus)
Georgian Young Lawyers' Association (Georgia)
Hungarian Helsinki Committee (Hungary)
Mental Disability Advocacy Centre – MDAC (Hungary)
Rights Defence Network (China)

The jury chose the three nominees from these six candidates.

On 29 September, at a second meeting which will be held in Strasbourg, the panel will name the winner of the Prize. This will be officially announced by the PACE President at 12.30 pm on the first day of the autumn session, on 30 September 2013.

The Václav Havel Human Rights Prize, which aims to reward outstanding civil society action in the defence of human rights in Europe and beyond, is awarded each year by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, in partnership with the Václav Havel Library and the Charta 77 Foundation and is worth €60 000.

Václav Havel Human Rights Prize

Press release - announcement