• Source: Magnitsky Human Rights Awards

The Magnitsky Human Rights Awards, established in 2015 by Sir William Browder KCMG, are named in honor of Sergei Magnitsky, a Russian lawyer who died in custody after uncovering a government corruption scheme. His death led to the creation of the Magnitsky Act, which sanctions human rights violators globally by freezing their assets and banning their visas.
The awards recognise journalists, politicians, and activists in the field of human rights. Notable past recipients include Boris Nemtsov, Senator John McCain, Jamal Khashoggi, Maria Ressa, and Oleg Sentsov.
The event occurs annually in London every November to commemorate Sergei Magnitsky's life and work. The Awards Dinner is attended by journalists, politicians, NGOs and civil society. The ceremony also allows the recipients of these awards a platform to highlight human rights issues to a broad audience.




Past Awardees


The Magnitsky Human Rights Awards has awarded numerous individuals, human rights activists, lawyers, journalists, etc. for their work in the field of human rights. Past recipients include:
2015

Outstanding European Coverage of the Magnitsky Case: Andrew Rettman
Presented by Marcus Kolga
Outstanding British Coverage of the Magnitsky Case: James O'Brien
Presented by Chris Bryant
Outstanding Campaigning European Politician: Guy Verhofstadt
Presented by Mikhail M. Kasyanov
Outstanding Campaigning US Politician: Jim McGovern
Presented by Alan Mendoza
Outstanding Human Rights Activism: Oslo Freedom Forum
Presented by Bjørn Engesland
Outstanding Investigative Journalism: Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP)
Presented by Robert Barrington
Outstanding Contribution to Human Rights Law: Geoffrey Robertson QC
Presented by Helena Kennedy QC
Outstanding Contribution to the Global Magnitsky Campaign: Irwin Cotler
Presented by Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger
Outstanding Campaigning for Democracy in Russia: Boris Nemtsov
Presented by Mikhail Khodorkovsky
2017

Outstanding Contribution to Human Rights Law: Nikolai Gorokhov
Presented by Geoffrey Robertson QC
Outstanding Russian Opposition Activist: Vladimir Kara-Murza
Presented by Mikhail Khodorkovsky
Outstanding Campaigning Politician: Dominic Raab
Presented by Helena Kennedy QC
Outstanding Human Rights Activist: Valery Borshchev
Presented by Thor Halvorssen
Outstanding Contribution to the Global Magnitsky Campaign: Marcus Kolga
Presented by James Bezan
Outstanding Investigative Journalist: Khadija Ismayilova
Presented by Bjørn Engesland
2018

Outstanding Contribution to Human Rights Law: John McCain
Presented by Vladimir Kara-Murza
Outstanding Russian Opposition Activist: Alexei Navalny
Presented by Thor Halvorssen
Outstanding Lawyers: Rolando Alvarado; Victoria Sandoval
Presented by Sir William Browder KCMG
Outstanding Human Rights Activist: Oleg Sentsov
Presented by Emanuelis Zingeris
Outstanding Investigative Journalist (Russia): Zoya Svetova
Presented by Kyle Parker
Outstanding Investigative Journalist (International): Eliot Higgins
Presented by Marcus Kolga
2019

Outstanding Investigative Journalist: Maria Ressa
Presented by Amal Clooney
Outstanding Russian Opposition Activist: Lyubov Sobol
Presented by Vladimir Kara-Murza
Outstanding Lawyers: James A. Goldston; Rupert Skilbeck
Presented by Mark Ellis
Outstanding Human Rights Activist: Gulchehra Hoja
Presented by Sir William Browder KCMG
Outstanding Human Rights Activist: Oleg Sentsov
Presented by Meghan McCain
Outstanding Campaigning Politician: Ana Gomes
Presented by Kyle Parker
Courage Under Fire: Jamal Khashoggi
Presented by Agnès Callamard
2020

Outstanding Contribution to the Global Magnitsky Campaign: Pieter Omtzigt; Sjoerd Sjoerdsma
Presented by Sir William Browder KCMG
Courage Under Fire: Belarus Free Theatre
Presented by Stephen Fry
Outstanding Justice Campaign: Andrew, Matthew and Paul Caruana Galizia
Presented by Maria Ressa
Outstanding Russian Opposition Activist: Sergei Mokhnatkin
Presented by Vladimir Kara-Murza
Outstanding Opposition Figure: Nathan Law
Presented by Chris Patten
Outstanding Human Rights Activist: Loujain al-Hathloul
Presented by Agnès Callamard
2021

Outstanding Contribution, Global Magnitsky Justice Movement: Kimberley Kitching
Presented by Sir William Browder KCMG
Courage Under Fire: Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe
Presented by Monique Villa
Outstanding Lawyer: Tutu Alicante
Presented by Rupert Skillbeck
Outstanding Investigative Journalist: Catherine Belton
Presented by Anne Applebaum
Outstanding Human Rights Activist: Peter Dahlin
Presented by Nusrat Ghani
Outstanding Opposition Figure: Maria Kalesnikava
Presented by Vladimir Kara-Murza
2022

Outstanding Contribution, Global Magnitsky Justice Movement: Jan Lipavsky
Presented by Kyle Parker
Outstanding Human Rights Activist: Enes Kanter Freedom
Presented by Sir William Browder KCMG
Courage Under Fire: Yuliia Paievska
Presented by Kira Rudik
Outstanding Investigative Journalist: Lucy Kassa
Presented by Catherine Belton
Outstanding Opposition Figure: Alexei Gorinov
Presented by Evgenia Kara-Murza
Outstanding Young Human Rights Activist: Thinzar Shunlei Yi
Presented by Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe
Outstanding Lawyer: Fatou Bensouda
Presented by Mark Ellis
2023

Outstanding Young Human Rights Advocate: Anaïse Kanimba; Carine Kanimba
Presented by Roger Carstens
Courage Under Fire Award: Evgenia Kara-Murza
Presented by Meghan McCain
Outstanding Human Rights Activist Award: Mykola Kuleba
Presented by Kira Rudik
Outstanding Human Rights Lawyer Award: Thulani Maseko
Presented by Thor Halvorssen
Outstanding Opposition Politician Award: Felix Maradiaga
Presented by Bianca Jagger
Lifetime Achievement Award: Baroness Helena Kennedy
Presented by Sir William Browder KCMG
Outstanding Journalist Award: Jimmy Lai
Presented by Sir Iain Duncan Smith
2024

Lifetime Achievement Award: Senator Ben Cardin
Presented by Sir William Browder KCMG
Courage Under Fire Award: Yulia Navalnaya
Presented by Vladimir Kara-Murza
Outstanding Human Rights Lawyer: Brandon Silver
Presented by Kyle Parker
Outstanding Journalist: Zahra Joya
Presented by Tina Brown CBE
Outstanding Young Human Rights Activist: Zhala Bayramova
Presented by Anaïse Kanimba; Carine Kanimba
Outstanding Opposition Politician: María Corina Machado
Presented by Thor Halvorssen




High Profile Cases


The Magnitsky Human Rights Awards have been linked to several high-profile cases, underscoring their significance in the field of global human rights advocacy.
Vladimir Kara-Murza
A prominent Russian opposition figure and recipient of the Outstanding Russian Opposition Activist in 2017, Kara-Murza has been a critic of Vladimir Putin and the Russian government. Kara-Murza worked alongside Sir William Browder KCMG to advocate for the adoption of Magnitsky Acts worldwide, but his activism led to two poisonings by the Russian government and a 25-year sentence in a Russian prison for speaking out against Russia's war in Ukraine. In a prisoner swap, the largest since the Cold War, Kara-Murza was freed on August 1, 2024.
Jimmy Lai
A Hong Kong media tycoon and pro-democracy activist, Lai was recognised with the Outstanding Journalist Award. He has been imprisoned for his commitment to press freedom and democracy in Hong Kong, particularly through his work with the Apple Daily newspaper.
Alexei Navalny
A Russian opposition leader and activist known for anti-corruption efforts, Navalny was a recipient of the Outstanding Russian Opposition Activist award. Known for his investigations into corruption at high levels of the Russian government, Navalny's poisoning and imprisonment drew international. On February 16, 2024, Navalny died in Russian prison, while serving a 19-year sentence.
Jamal Khashoggi
The Saudi journalist and critic of the Saudi government was posthumously recognised by the Magnitsky Awards for the Courage Under Fire award in 2019. Khashoggi's murder in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018 drew international.
Alexei Gorinov
Alexei Gorinov is a Russian opposition politician and lawyer who served as a Moscow municipal deputy. Gorinov was the first person to be sentenced under Russia's law against distributing 'false' information about the Russian army for speaking out against Russia's war in Ukraine. In April 2022, he was sentenced to seven years in prison for his opposition to the war in Ukraine.
Félix Maradiaga
Félix Maradiaga is a Nicaraguan human rights and pro-democracy activist, recognized as one of his country's leading pro-democracy voices. He is the founder of Fundación Para la Libertad and has faced persecution by the Ortega government, including imprisonment and expulsion to the United States. In 2023, he was awarded the Magnitsky Human Rights Award for Outstanding Political Opposition.




Associated News


The Magnitsky Human Rights Awards have been associated with several high-profile cases and news stories, reflecting their role in highlighting global human rights issues.
Human rights lawyer Thulani Maseko, a pro-democracy activist from Eswatini, was posthumously awarded the Outstanding Human Rights Lawyer Award in 2023. He was killed in January 2023, and his wife, Tanele Maseko, accepted the award on his behalf. During her acceptance, she accused Eswatini's King Mswati of involvement in her husband's death, a claim denied by the Eswatini government.
In response to her acceptance speech, Eswatini Government Spokesperson Alpheous Nxumalo released a statement on behalf of the Eswatini Government, denying Maseko's claims at the Magnitsky Human Rights Awards.

The statement read:"The Government would like to categorically state that these utterances are a fabrication of the truth and are part of a narrative that seeks to promote hatred against the King and further perpetrate civil discord, something which should not be tolerated at any platform since it erodes the very existence of fundamental rights which Thulani stood for."




References

Kata Kunci Pencarian:

• Thinzar Shunlei Yi
• Min Aung Hlaing
• Soe Win (jenderal)
• Magnitsky Human Rights Awards
• Sergei Magnitsky
• Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project
• Mykola Kuleba
• The Magnitsky Act – Behind the Scenes
• Alexei Gorinov
• Human rights in Russia
• Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights
• Bill Browder
• Rebecca Vincent