WUNRN
August 13, 2007
“Her Life Is a Testament to Upholding Human Rights and Combating Injustice”
Washington, D.C. – The Institute on Religion and Public Policy announced today
that Sigma Huda has been named the recipient of the Institute’s highest honor,
the Pope John Paul II Wellspring of Freedom Award, for 2007. Her commitment to
the protection and promotion of the fundamental rights of individuals around
the globe has contributed immeasurably to the cause of peace and dialogue in
the world.
In order to honor the life, legacy, and mission of the Pope of Peace, the
Institute on Religion and Public Policy presents an award to an individual or
institution that has made outstanding contributions to freedom, particularly
religious freedom. Previously named for his countryman Jan Karski, the award is
now presented as the Pope John Paul II Wellspring of Freedom Award. His
Holiness, Pope John Paul II, was the 2004 recipient of the Jan Karski Award.
As a young man, Karol Wojtyła experienced the brutality of a godless
totalitarian regime and defied the Nazi occupation forces first-hand, risking
his own life to protect others from persecution. As a Priest, Karol
Wojtyła worked against the tyranny of the Communist oppressors in Poland,
continuing his indefatigable resistance to despotism and working toward the
expression of inalienable freedoms by all peoples of the world.
During the Second Vatican Council, Archbishop Wojtyła was an articulate
and outspoken advocate for religious freedom. As a Senate Resolution honoring
the Holy Father stated, Archbishop Wojtyła “assert[ed] that the Church
could not claim religious liberty for itself unless it was willing to concede
it to others… Pope John Paul II, upon returning to his homeland, frequently
cited the Council's declaration that religious freedom was `the first of human
rights', a phrase embraced by Polish Catholics in their struggle against the
hegemony of the Communist regime.”
“Sigma Huda is a living testament to upholding human rights and combating
injustice,” stated Institute on Religion and Public Policy President Joseph K.
Grieboski. “Sigma’s current deplorable conditions and situation speak to her
dedication to rule of law, and upholding the rights of the individual against
illegitimate and exploitative regimes. No one is more deserving of this honor.”
Sigma Huda, a national of Bangladesh, serves as UN Special Rapporteur on
trafficking in persons. She is the Founder and current President of Bangladesh
Women Lawyers Association (BNWLA) and Founder and Secretary of Institute for
Law and Development (ILD). She has initiated many training and advocacy
programs about the basic laws of the country through the Bangladesh National
Women Lawyers Association, the Bangladesh Society for Enforcement of Human
Rights and the Institute for Law and Development, such as holding workshops,
discussions and seminars at village and district town levels. Working with
these three organizations, Sigma Huda has fought against trafficking and sexual
exploitation, particularly of women and girls, from Bangladesh to India.
Sigma Huda's unceasing work defending human rights earned her enemies within
Bangladesh's military-controlled interim government. Ms. Huda was arrested on 5
July on charges of alleged extortion. She was originally hospitalized for
potentially life-threatening heart and kidney conditions, but was taken from
her hospital and imprisoned without access to competent medical treatment.
According to a senior consultant in cardiology, she is suffering from coronary
heart disease, and a chronic renal (kidney) failure. It is also known that
Sigma Huda has diabetes, for which she is receiving long-term treatment. She
was under treatment and observation when she was taken into custody. She was
taken to court in an ambulance, and to the courtroom on a stretcher, to hear
the charges against her. She was then sent to jail on 5 July.
For more information on Sigma Huda's case, please visit the Sigma File at http://sigmahuda.blogspot.com/
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