Renowned lawyer, pro-democracy campaigner and civil rights activist – Hina Jilani has been awarded with 2020 Human Rights award.
Hina Jilani has been named as the recipient of 2020 Stockholm Human Rights Award which is jointly bestowed by the Swedish Bar Association, the International Bar Association (IBA) and the International Legal Assistance Consortium.
Jilani is set to receive the award on November 30th next month at the Swedish Bar Association, Stockholm.
The Stockholm Human Rights Award is bestowed upon individuals/organizations with noteworthy and remarkable contributions and efforts on civil rights issues.
Horacio Bernardes Neto – President International Bar association (IBA) said, “‘I can think of no more deserving recipient of this award than Hina Jilani. She has dedicated her life to the protection of the vulnerable through her commitment to human rights and the rule of law.”
Her ceaseless endeavors have made both Pakistan and the wider world a better, safer and more just place, he added.
Hina Jilani grew up in Pakistan. Her father was a politician and an outspoken critic of the country’s military dictatorship, who spent much of her childhood in prison.
In 1980, Jilani founded Pakistan’s first all-female law firm, providing legal aid to women, followed by the establishment of Women’s Action Forum, a campaign group that advocated for women’s rights and challenged the discriminatory laws with which she had grown up.
In 1986, she set up Pakistan’s first Legal Aid Centre and was a founding member of Human Rights Commission of Pakistan.
In 1992, Hina Jilani was appointed as an Advocate of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, a designation she still holds.
Furthermore, she is currently serving as President of the World Organisation against Torture, Co-Chair of the World Refugee Council and Co-Chair of the International Task Force on Justice.
